Curfew in Nepal’s Birgunj as communal unrest continues in border town over TikTok comments, mosque vandalism

Curfew has been enforced in Nepal’s Birgunj after communal unrest spread to the border town. The dispute began after derogatory comments on religious affiliations were allegedly posted on the social media platform TikTok. The issue spilled onto the streets after a mosque in the Kamala municipality area in the neighbouring Dhanusha, as per Nepali media website The Kathmandu Post.

Both Birgunj and Dhanusha lie along the India-Nepal border.

According to another Nepali media website, The Himalayan Times, the curfew came into force on Monday and continued on Tuesday after the demonstrations staged by rival groups continued despite a prohibitory order in place.