Agitated youths manhandle policeman in Rautahat

Rautahat, April 10

Muslim youths manhandled an assistant sub-inspector after he tried to stop them from reciting namaz at a mosque in Rautahat last evening.

In breach of the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government to stop the spread of COVID-19, a large number of Muslims had gathered at a mosque of Tejapakadgaun in Paroh Rural Municipality, Rautahat, to recite Namaz. Police personnel had reached the site and tried to stop them from reading out Namaz.

Acting on a special tip-off, ASI Munmun Singh from Area Police Post, Laukaha went to the mosque and urged the people to stop Namaz recitation. The Muslims manhandled ASI saying that he had tried to defile their culture.

District Police Office, Rautahat, said a large number of APF and Nepal police personnel were deployed to the incident site to bring the situation under control.

Police have nabbed three youths from the mosque for manhandling ASI Singh. The arrested have been identified as Kalam Ansari, Sajid Ansari and Lalu Ansari, according to SP Rabiraj Khadka.

“We are preparing to file case against arrested people after an investigation,” said SP Khadka, adding that the Muslim youths had defied the directive issued by the DAO two days ago to mark the festival at home and to avoid public gathering.

He warned of taking action if the restriction on mass gathering was violated.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on April 11, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.