Muslim vendor assaulted by Hindu mob amid rising religious tensions in Nepal
Victim says attackers beat him, forced him to chant Hindu religious slogans and looted his merchandise as communal tensions spread in southeastern Nepal
KATHMANDU, Nepal (MNTV) — A Muslim ice cream vendor has alleged that he was assaulted by a Hindu extremist mob, forced to chant Hindu religious slogans and robbed of his merchandise in southeastern Nepal, in an incident that has heightened concerns over rising religious intolerance in the Himalayan nation.
According to local media reports, the attack took place in the Kaptanganj area of Sunsari district following recent communal unrest between Hindu and Muslim communities in the region.
The vendor said a group of men intercepted him while he was selling ice cream and demanded that he chant “Jai Shri Ram,” a Hindu religious slogan that has increasingly been used by Hindu extremist groups in South Asia as a political rallying cry.
He alleged that when he refused, the men assaulted him before looting his ice cream and other belongings.
A separate attack targeting another Muslim man was also reported in Inaruwa, the district headquarters of Sunsari.
The victim alleged that members of a group associated with a Hindu organization beat him with sticks while shouting the same slogan and vandalized his motorcycle before fleeing.
The incidents come days after communal tensions flared in parts of Sunsari district over disputes surrounding the playing of loud religious music, the display of religious flags and Hindu religious processions.
The disagreements reportedly escalated into clashes between members of the Hindu and Muslim communities, prompting heightened security in the area.
While Nepal has long been regarded as a religiously diverse society where Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim communities have largely coexisted peacefully, rights advocates have increasingly warned of the growing influence of Hindu extremist groups in recent years.
Observers say rhetoric and mobilization associated with Hindu majoritarian politics in neighboring India have increasingly found resonance among some organizations in Nepal, raising concerns about the safety of religious minorities and the country’s long-standing secular character.
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