KATHMANDU, Nepal (MNTV) — Hindu mobs set fire to at least two mosques and damaged several Muslim homes in southern Nepal’s Rautahat district, deepening concerns over rising communal tensions in the Himalayan nation.
Videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing mosque structures as crowds gathered nearby. The attacks took place on Feb. 22, days after tensions escalated over a dispute involving a Hindu wedding procession playing loud music outside a mosque, according to local reports.
Authorities had imposed a curfew in parts of Rautahat District in Madhesh Province following the violence, aiming to prevent further unrest and restore order.
The unrest reportedly began on Feb. 19, when members of a Hindu wedding procession played amplified music in front of a mosque during prayer time. Muslims in the area allegedly objected, leading to an argument that later spiraled into organized attacks on religious sites. Reports indicate that copies of the Quran were burned inside at least one of the torched mosques.
Rautahat lies in Nepal’s southern plains region, commonly known as the Terai, an area with deep cross-border social and cultural ties to northern India. The region has historically witnessed identity-based tensions, including disputes tied to ethnicity, religion and political representation.
The violence comes amid renewed ideological debates within Nepal over national identity. Although Nepal formally became a secular republic in 2008 after abolishing its centuries-old Hindu monarchy, calls from some Hindu nationalist groups to reinstate the country as a Hindu state have gained visibility in recent years. Analysts note that such debates often heighten sensitivities around religious expression and minority rights.
Similar incidents were reported earlier this year in Sakhua village of Dhanusha District, where a mosque was vandalized, looted and set on fire in January. Rights advocates say repeated attacks on Muslim places of worship signal growing vulnerability for religious minorities in parts of the country.
This story was originally published in muslimnetwork.tv. Read the full story here.
