Communal violence, curfew, call for peace: Here’s all about the chaos that rocked Nepal ahead of March 5 elections

Nepal is scheduled to vote in the national parliamentary election on 05 March, marking the first general elections since last year’s Gen-Z protests that toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led coalition government.

Last week, Prime Minister Sushila Karki took stock of the election preparation and security arrangements in some districts and confirmed that elections will be held in a single phase in all districts of Nepal. A total of 2,925 candidates filed their nominations in 165 constituencies across the country towards the first-past-the-post electoral system of the House of Representatives member elections to be held next month.

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While the country is gearing up for the polls, communal tensions have flared in some districts of Nepal, raising concerns over law and order.

Communal clash in Southern Nepal

Tensions escalated in Rautahat, following communal clashes between Hindu and Muslim groups. Although the initial clashes broke out on Thursday, the situation worsened in the following days. The clashes first erupted on the evening of 20 February after a wedding procession of a Hindu couple reportedly played loud music near a mosque where members of the Muslim community were offering prayers during the month of Ramadan.

“Loud music played by the wedding procession reportedly disturbed worshippers at a local mosque. When they objected, clashes broke out, and members of both sides resorted to stone-pelting,” stated Dinesh Sagar Bhusal, Chief District Officer of Rautahat. A vehicle was set on fire on Saturday morning, further aggravating tensions.

 Rautahat, which shares a border with India, is among Nepal’s most impoverished districts and has a history of political and religious tensions.

Indefinite curfew imposed in Birgunj after clashes

Following a clash between two youth groups, an indefinite curfew has been imposed in four areas of Birgunj Metropolitan City in Nepal’s Parsa district from Monday morning until further notice.

According to the Chief District Officer, the curfew was enforced under Section 6(a) of the Local Administration Act, 2028, which prohibits residents from moving around, gathering, rallying, demonstrating, or holding meetings within the designated areas, which include Bypass Road in the east, Sirsia River in the west, Gandak Chowk in the north, and Shankaracharya Gate in the south.

Authorities clarified that essential movement will be allowed during the curfew, with exemptions including ambulances, fire engines, hearses, vehicles carrying health workers, media personnel, candidates for pre-scheduled university exams, employees at exam centres, tourist vehicles, vehicles of human rights and diplomatic missions, and air passengers travelling with valid tickets.

Nepal | In view of the latest security situation, a curfew order has been issued in the following four forts within the Birgunj Metropolitan City area of ​​Parsa district, from 9:45 am today, February 23 until further orders, prohibiting anyone from moving around, holding any… pic.twitter.com/hSYSUPFZXd

— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2026

Security tightened nationwide

Nepal has deployed the army personnel across the country to bolster security for the next month’s general elections.

Security personnel have been deployed to enforce the curfew and facilitate the movement of exempted vehicles, according to local administration officials.

Meanwhile, additional security forces have been deployed to districts outside the Kathmandu valley, especially the southern plains of Nepal, to maintain security across nearly 11,000 polling stations, ahead of the national polls.

More than 3 lakh security personnel, including police, army, election police, and more, are tasked with ensuring a peaceful election process on 05 March.

At the Nepal Police Academy in Kathmandu, over 3,000 police personnel boarded buses as they started off for their assigned districts to maintain security for the election.

All-party meeting calls for peace 

A meeting of stakeholders, including representatives of all political parties active in Nepal’s border district of Rautahat, on Sunday appealed for religious harmony after the reported clashes.

In a joint appeal issued after the meeting, the stakeholders urged all concerned to work collectively to maintain a peaceful and harmonious environment. They stressed the importance of mutual respect, tolerance, unity, and understanding to preserve social and religious harmony across the district.

Stating that the losses resulting from the clashes would ultimately affect residents, the stakeholders called upon all people of Rautahat to act responsibly and contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the district.

A meeting held on Friday resulted in a six-point agreement between representatives of both communities to resolve the dispute peacefully. However, tensions escalated again on Saturday morning after a vehicle was set on fire, further aggravating the situation and forcing the administration to impose a curfew to prevent the violence from escalating into a larger communal conflict.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s Home Ministry on Saturday urged all concerned to maintain religious tolerance and mutual respect among communities, warning that any acts that disturb communal harmony, incite violence, or promote hatred among different religions, ethnic groups, classes, regions, or communities would invite legal action.

“The Ministry is closely monitoring such activities and will bring anyone involved in illegal and punishable acts within the ambit of the law and take necessary legal action,” the Home Ministry said in a statement.