Madhesis target Nepal Prez’s motorcade, petrol bomb lobbed at temple

Madhesi protesters targeted President Vidhya Bhandari during her visit to a temple at Janakpur on Wednesday, sparking tension in the area and prompting police to fire in the air and use teargas to disperse demonstrators.

Updated on: Dec 16, 2015, 21:47:06 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Madhesi protesters targeted President Vidhya Bhandari during her visit to a temple at Janakpur on Wednesday, sparking tension in the area and prompting police to fire in the air and use teargas to disperse demonstrators.

Protesters greeted Bhandari’s motorcade with black flags and slogans. They pelted stones while she was in the Janaki Temple and hurled a petrol bomb at the shrine soon after she left.

Police fired several rounds in the air and used batons and teargas to disperse the protesters at Janakpur, the birthplace of Goddess Sita. Nearly a dozen people were reportedly injured.

Bhandari was in Janakpur, 380 km southeast of Kathmandu, to attend Vibaha Panchami, the symbolic marriage of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita conducted at the temple every year.

She spent nearly 10 minutes in the temple but authorities called off the ceremony due to the protests.

Protesters had announced their decision to oppose her visit as Bhandari was vice-chairman of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist before assuming the top post.

Madhesis have been protesting against the new constitution for four months and have blocked key border points with India, resulting in a severe scarcity of essential goods and petroleum products.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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