Govt, Hindu organisations sign 13-point agreement on religious harmony, national identity

JANAKPURDHAM: A 13-point agreement has been signed between the government negotiation team, led by Home Minister Sudhan Gurung, and representatives of various Hindu organisations following talks on religious harmony, social peace and national identity.

The accord sets a three-month timeline to begin an all-party discussion on the proposal to declare Nepal a Hindu nation. It introduces measures to regulate the display of weapons and provocative actions at religious sites and imposes restrictions on the use of loudspeakers and sound-amplification devices in places of worship, limiting sound to essential religious activities.

The agreement requires documentation of individuals residing in religious places, with particular attention to foreign nationals, and calls for legal action against those who spread religious or ethnic hatred on social media. It provides for a review of cases involving those arrested after the Dewanganj incident in Sunsari district and includes provisions to address the healthcare needs of people injured during protests.

Further clauses call for an investigation into the Nepali citizenship distribution process, guarantee the safety of protest participants, set out legal procedures for foreign nationals and establish financial oversight for resources received by madrasas.

Officials who took part in the talks included Home Minister Gurung, Chief Minister of Madhes Province Krishna Prasad Yadav, Finance Minister Yuvraj Bhattarai, Home Minister Fakira Mahato, Member of the House of Representatives Manish Jha and Chief of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City Manoj Kumar Sah. Representatives of Hindu organisations, including Hindu Samrat Sena, also attended, Dhanusha's Chief District Officer Prem Prasad Luintel said.