AS VIOLENCE FLARES IN NEPAL, IS THE HINDU RIGHT-WING IN INDIA TO BLAME?

Members of the Hindu Samrat Sena attacked the under-construction mosque and, while celebrating victory, hoisted a saffron flag printed with “Jai Shri Ram” and an image of Hanuman.

Fri 31 July 2026:

At least three people have been killed during violent clashes in southern Nepal, where local Muslim and Hindu groups have clashed since Sunday, threatening public security, as the Himalayan nation continues to recover from last year’s mass protests.

The communal protests began on Sunday night, officials from violence-affected areas told Anadolu.

“I call upon political parties, civil society, and all brothers and sisters to maintain social unity, communal harmony, friendship, and tolerance,” President Ramchandra Paudel said in an appeal.

Curfew was imposed in most parts of southern Nepal after angry mobs began to attack each other and burn government offices, shopping malls, police posts, and vandalize them.

Clashes first erupted in the Sunsari district after a dispute during celebrations by two religious communities escalated into violence.

Hundreds of security forces, including those from the army, have been since deployed on the ground to contain the violence.

The police opened fire at the protesters to contain the clash, resulting in the death of a farmer, Om Prakash Mehata, while scores of locals were injured in the firing, including Jaya Prakash Mehata, who died at the hospital on Thursday.

⚠️ Muslim Family Brutally Attacked By Hindutva Mob

A Hindutva mob stopped and beat a Muslim family travelling on a motorcycle in Kaptanganj, Nepal. pic.twitter.com/hqanou2wZ2

— DOAM (@doamuslims) July 30, 2026

Hindu groups staged protests in Sunsari and other districts following the death of Mehata in police firing, with curfews imposed in Sunsari, Sarlahi, Parsa, and Janakpur districts.

A third death was reported in Siraha after a person was shot on Thursday.

“One more death case was reported. We are informed that Ganesh Yadav, a local from Aaurahi, died today,” Chatraj Baral, an administrator in the district, told Anadolu.

Nepal, a predominantly Hindu country, was declared a secular state in 2008 following the abolition of the monarchy. Since then, the country has largely avoided major religious tensions.

Hindus make up about 80 percent of Nepal’s population, but the country’s south has sizeable Muslim populations.

However, the recent outbreak of violence has heightened public fears.

Nepal experienced one of its worst periods of unrest in September last year, when more than 70 people were killed after police opened fire on protesters led by young people demanding political change and an end to corruption.

नेपाल में मस्जिद पर हमला, भगवा झंडा फहराया; मुस्लिम विरोधी नारे लगे , #Nepal #Siraha #DhankiMai #Mosque #MuslimCommunity pic.twitter.com/uaLN74IlnB

— The village official (@thevillage001) July 30, 2026

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India’s Hindu Right-Wing Groups Gain Strength in Nepal

The rise of Hindu nationalism in India and the quest for turning India into a “Hindu nation” is also influencing political counterparts in Nepal, with the right-wing Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leading the charge. In February 2024, the RPP submitted a 40-point charter to the Prime Minister’s Office, demanding that Nepal be declared a Hindu kingdom with monarchy as its guardian. This sentiment is also shared by a section of Nepali society, who demand the resurrection of the Hindu monarchical system despite the abolition of the centuries-old institution more than 16 years ago.

Across the country, institutions continue to rally around a shared vision, but the active influence of India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), strengthens the push for a Hindu Kingdom. This influence frames the spread of Christianity in Nepal as a threat to its Hindu identity.

Militant RSS affiliates, such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, have also set up units in Nepal and adopted aggressive tactics similar to their Indian counterparts.

The chief minister of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, Yogi Adityanath, who is known for his anti-Muslim policies and politics, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of Nepal in 2015 urging him to declare Nepal as a ‘Hindu nation.’ In 2021, BJP spokesperson Vijay Sonkar Shastri echoed this sentiment, stating that Nepal was and will always remain a ‘Hindu Kingdom.’

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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