Bhairahawa, August 20:

Maoists today disrupted a religious gathering organised by the Shiv Sena to protest against declaring Nepal a secular state.

About two dozen cadres of the pro-Maoist Madhesi National Liberation Front and All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary carrying black flags barged into the

mass meet venue at Buddha Chowk just 15 minutes after it had begun and chanted anti-Shiv Sena slogans.

Bhairahawa remained tense for about three and half hours after the incident.

General secretary of the World Hindu Federation, India, RP Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party’s MP Rakesh Singh Pahalwan, members of the World Hindu Federation, India, Shanker Dube and Prem Shanker Mishrawa had arrived here from India to address the gathering.

Meanwhile, central president of the Shiv Sena, Arun Subedi, in a press conference here today, warned that it would wage armed religious war to reinstate Nepal as Hindu nation.

He said Maoists have insulted Shiv Sena in Lord Buddha’s holy birth place adding that Maoists’ supreme Prachanda and Babu Ram Bhattarai should take the responsibility of the incident and the consequences.