Growing communal clashes in Nepal’s southern plains: A timeline

Durga Puja idol immersion processions in Janakpurdham of Madhesh Province and Banke district of Lumbini turned violent on October 3, prompting police intervention and prohibitory orders across several areas. The clashes mirrored a similar outbreak in Janakpur barely a month earlier during Ganesh idol immersion, highlighting recurring communal flashpoints in Nepal’s southern plains.

In Janakpurdham’s Ward 20, Devpura Rupetha, violence erupted near the Rizvi Jama Masjid when stones were hurled as a Durga idol procession passed by, leading to confrontations between Hindu and Muslim groups. While each side blamed the other for throwing the first stone, videos circulating on social media suggest that loud DJ music and provocative songs deliberately played in front of the mosque heightened the tension.

The Dhanusha District Administration Office has imposed prohibitory orders along key roads and warned that acts of vandalism, arson, or other unlawful activity would be dealt with under the law.

In Banke, similar tensions escalated in Nepalgunj submetropolis and surrounding rural municipalities Duduwa and Narainapur, where authorities said idol immersion processions passing through mixed-community areas sparked stone-pelting, vandalism, and arson, damaging shops in Hirminiya (Duduwa-6) and houses in Gegli and Janatapur (Narainapur). Yet again, where the first stone came from remains unknown. 

The Banke District Administration Office has imposed prohibitory orders across affected wards to prevent further escalation.

Both incidents underscore a recurring pattern of festival-time-procession communal tensions in Nepal’s Terai, where processions through sensitive locations, provocative music, and retaliatory acts between communities repeatedly trigger clashes.

Six months ago, in April, the Parsa district administration had to issue curfew orders in the metropolis region of Birgunj after a Hanuman Jayanti procession escalated into stone pelting between Hindu and Muslim groups. In July, the eve of Muharram turned tense on the streets of Aadarshnagar after the authorities removed saffron flags hoisted at electricity poles to prevent a potential escalation that could have stemmed from “damaging” the flags by the other group. Fortunately, the tensions subsided overnight.

These outbreaks reveal a broader pattern. Social media-fuelled misinformation with the intention of spreading hate, long-standing local grievances on conduct of religious events and communal tensions, and the import of majoritarian political narratives from across the border have created a volatile environment where religious observances can quickly turn into flashpoints.

Analysts warn that without proactive civic and administrative interventions, these incidents threaten the fragile social fabric of the plains. And this needs a healthy discourse. Before that, here’s a chronology of communal clashes in the plains over the past decade.

Kapilvastu:

• 2016–2017: Durga immersion passing by a mosque in Basbariya led to one death and the displacement of over 100 Muslim families.
• November 2019: Clashes erupted over local festival processions, leaving multiple injuries.

Rautahat:

• September 2019: Hindu-Muslim tensions during a festival led to violence and curfew imposition.
• February 2024: Clash in Ishnath during Saraswati Puja disposal spilt over into Birgunj, injuring residents and police personnel.

Sarlahi:

• September 2020: Dispute during a Bishwakarma idol immersion procession in Malangwa escalated into stone-pelting; curfew was enforced.
• July 2023: Road construction and festival tensions in Godaita led to clashes between communities.

Bara:

• November 2021: Kalaiya saw Hindu-Muslim skirmishes during a local festival, prompting temporary restrictions.

Mahottari:

• October 2022: Clashes in Bhangaha municipality during a procession led to injuries and curfew imposition.

Sunsari and Biratnagar:

• April 2024: Violence erupted during Ram Navami rallies in Biratnagar and Sunsari’s Bhutaha Bazaar, injuring multiple people; police intervened, and curfews were imposed.

Birgunj:

• February 2024: Clashes from Rautahat spillover.
• April 2025: Hanuman Jayanti procession disrupted near Shreeram Hall Chowk, injuring 41 people; curfews imposed and all-party meetings convened.

Banke:

• October 2023: Tensions during Eid processions followed by provocative social media posts from both sides in Nepalgunj.
• October 2025: Renewed clashes in Nepalgunj, Duduwa, and Narainapur during festival processions, prompting curfews and police intervention.

Janakpurdham:

• November 2021: Tensions surfaced and clashes ensued between Hindu and Muslim groups after a few muslim youths intervened in the Chhath Puja in Devpura Rupetha
• August 2025: Ganesh idol immersion procession turned violent, with stone-pelting reported.
• October 2025: Durga idol immersion clashes near Rizvi Jama Masjid; injuries reported, prohibitory orders issued, social media used to inflame tensions.