Incident Reports

Locals and police clash in Pulchowk over pulling of Rato Machhindranath chariot

2020-09-03

Bagmati, Lalitpur, Lalitpur

Police and public clashed on Thursday afternoon in Pulchowk of Lalitpur after locals attempted the chariot procession of Rato Machhindranath.

According to Senior Superintendent Tek Prasad Rai, chief of Lalitpur Metropolitan Police Range, around 800 people had gathered in Pulchowk to pull the chariot. A clash ensued when police tried to stop them from pulling the chariot in view of the coronavirus restrictions.

“Since people had arrived in huge numbers, police alone were unable to control the crowd,” said Rai. “So we sought the help of the Nepal Army.”

 Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Details were yet to arrive on injuries. The Lalitpur District Administration Office renewed the prohibitory orders in the district on Wednesday for a week, along with the district administration offices of Kathmandu and Bhakatpur, citing the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the Valley. All non-essential services have been banned. According to Rai, earlier on Thursday morning, people in small numbers had gathered in Pulchowk to pull the chariot. “Security personnel managed to turn them away. But later people gathered in huge numbers in the afternoon,” said Rai.


Details and Impacts
Violent / Non-violent Violent
Onesided / Twosided Twosided
Collective / Interpersonal Collective
Primary Form Group Clash
Secondary Form Excessive Use of Force
Weapons Blunt weapon
Primary Cause Law and Order Violence
Secondary Cause Freedom of Assembly
Actor 1 - Number of people 100
Actor 1 - Affiliations Citizen/Individuals
Actor 1 - Youth unknown
Actor 2 - Number of people 50
Actor 2 - Affiliation Police
Actor 2 - Youth unknown
National/Online Media

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