Nepal’s tribal block President from entering Hindu temple: She is a widow
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - Representatives of the minority madhese have prevented the President of Nepal from entering the Hindu Temple of Ramjanaki, located in the district of Janakpur (in the southern state).
The tribals protested the visit of Bidhya Devi Bhandari, the first female president in the history of the country, who wanted to pay homage to the Hindu festival of Bibaha Mahotsave, celebrating the marriage of the deities Rama and Janaki.
The Madhesi, however, claimed that she "defamed" the temple because she is a "widow". The incident happened on 16 December, when the highest authority of Nepal paid a visit to the Hindu temple. Members of minority communities madhese had been protesting for several days camped around the temple, with black flags and setting fire to tires of cars. The tribals also protested the statements made by the President about the strikes in the Terai region [the government of Kathmandu tried to quell the protest with an amendment of the Constitution, decided a few days after the protests in question - Ed].
Before the arrival of Bhandari police had managed to disperse the protesters, who then resumed their protest with the launch of firecrackers. The police then used tear gas and batons to quell the violence. In the clashes more than 30 people were injured, among Madhesi and pilgrims, while Bhandari was quickly led to safety by helicopter.
The Ramjanaki temple is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus from all over Nepal and India. Every year thousands of people attend the festival for the marriage of the two deities but this year the celebration was marred by protests, which have also caused the destruction of many offerings.
At the end of the violence, the temple authorities decided to postpone the ceremony for three hours, to allow a return to normality.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced that the government "will take all necessary measures to bring the perpetrators to justice. No one should be wounded for practicing their faith and protests cannot injure the faith of the president".
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