The District Administration Office (DAO) of Parsa in Nepal has extended the curfew in Birgunj city due to ongoing communal tensions sparked by a TikTok video.
The curfew was initially imposed on Monday afternoon after defiant protests from both sides. The curfew ran from 6 PM on Monday to 8 AM Tuesday local time. With tensions persisting, authorities extended it until 1 PM Tuesday to restore control.
The order said, “The curfew order issued yesterday, 2082.09.21 (2026.01.05) from 6:00 PM to 8:00 AM on 2082.09.22 (2026.01.06), in view of the latest security situation, has been continued in the following four forts within the Birgunj Metropolitan City area of Parsa district, as per Section 6 (a) of the Local Administration Act, 2028, from today, 2082.09.22 (2026.01.06), until 1:00 PM, prohibiting anyone from moving within those boundaries, holding any kind of gathering, procession, demonstration, meeting, meeting, or siege”, according to ANI.
Local administration in Parsa has designated the curfew area in Birgunj with four boundaries: Bus Park and Nagwa to the east, Sirsia River to the west, Gandak Chowk to the north, and Shankaracharya Gate to the south.
Security personnel have been authorised to shoot on sight during the curfew in Birgunj. Residents are advised to stay indoors except for essential needs, coordinating with nearby security or dialing 100 if venturing out, the administration warned.
Tension has continued to flare in Birgunj near the Indian border shared with Bihar since Sunday, after a dispute between two groups triggered by communal comments on a video on TikTok spiraled from Dhanusha’s Kamala Municipality.
The controversy erupted when two individuals, Haider Ansari and Amanat Ansari, uploaded a TikTok video in Janakpur, Dhanusha, which locals said hurt religious sentiments, leading to police intervention. Tensions escalated in Kamala Municipality’s ward 6 after a mosque was vandalised.
Protests escalated with rallies, tyre-burning, and slogan-chanting around Birgunj continuing since Sunday.
The unrest, initially sparked in Dhanusha and Parsa areas of Madhesh Province and escalated via TikTok, as both sides took to the streets over issues affecting religious and communal sentiments.
