Tensions have erupted in Nepal’s Birgunj city, situated near the border with the Indian state of Bihar, over a TikTok video, with the district administration imposing and extending a curfew order till Tuesday evening.
The local administration issued the prohibitory order in parts of the district on Monday afternoon in view of the continued religious tensions, news agency ANI reported. Despite the curbs, the two sides defied the order and held simultaneous protests, prompting authorities to impose a curfew.
The district administration office (DAO) of Parsa imposed a curfew from 6 pm (local time) on Monday to 8 am on Tuesday. However, as the situation continued to spiral out of control and a threat situation persisted, the curfew was extended till 1 pm.
As the prohibitory order neared its conclusion, the DAO once again extended the curfew till 6 pm on Tuesday. The curfew order stated that the curbs were in place in four forts within the Birgunj Metropolitan City area of Parsa district: Bus Park, Nagwa, Inarwa (East) and Sirsia River (West), Gandak Chowk (North), and Shankaracharya Gate (South).
Curbs under the curfew in Birgunj
The order said that it is “prohibiting anyone from moving within those boundaries, holding any kind of gathering, procession, demonstration, meeting, or siege”.
The DAO warned the people that security personnel have been allowed to shoot on sight during the curfew, requesting the public not to step out of their homes except for essential purposes. “If you do need to step out, coordinate with the nearest security personnel or call 100,” it said.
The curfew order further explained that during this period, security personnel will facilitate the movement of essential service vehicles, ambulances, fire engines, hearses, vehicles of health workers, media personnel, tourist vehicles, vehicles of human rights and diplomatic missions, and air passengers based on their flight tickets.
What is happening in Birgunj?
Situation reportedly grew tense in Nepal’s Birgunj on Sunday after religiously targeted comments on TikTok triggered a dispute between two groups from Dhanusha’s Kamala Municipality.
The controversy broke out when two youths, identified as Haider Ansari and Amanat Ansari, allegedly uploaded a video on TikTok in Janakpur, Dhanusha. Locals reportedly claimed that the video hurt religious sentiments and handed the two youths over to the police.
However, the tensions did not end here; rather, they continued to flare after a mosque was vandalised in ward 6 of Kamala Municipality.
People took to the streets in protest against the vandalism and staged rallies in and around Birgunj, burning tyres and chanting slogans from Sunday.
The unrest, which initially erupted in Dhanusha and Parsa, further escalated via TikTok, as both sides protested over issues affecting religious and communal sentiments.
