Kathmandu: Police had to use water canons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of youths who assembled at Pulchok for organising the ritual chariot procession of the Rato Machchhindranath, the deity of rain and good harvest.
Although the authorities had decided not to organise the procession to prevent additional risk of coronavirus in view of the daily increase in the number of infected persons in the country, a large number of people, mostly youths, had come to the place at around 11 this morning, taking it as the auspicious hour for the procession.
Chief District Officer of Lalitpur, Narayan Prasad Bhatta said permission would not be granted to organise both the Machchhindranath procession and the Bhotojatra ritual until the risk of COVID-19 pandemic was over.
“We removed the people who had assembled to organise the chariot procession, without causing any human loss by adopting normal technique,” he said.
According to CDO Bhatta, none of the 19 caste communities and representatives of the political parties in Lalitpur has knowledge that these youths were organising the chariot procession by taking to the street.
Purna Raj Shakya, a priest associated with the procession, said police removed the people who had come to pull the chariot of the deity of rain and bounty in view of the risk of coronavirus infection.
Astrologer Daibagya Kirtimardan Joshi said the youths might have come to the street thinking that that time was the appropriate time for the chariot procession.
Many youths could be seen out on the street chanting the slogan, “You can’t stop the festival; we don’t need the order from higher authorities. We want to continue with our tradition.”
These youths also pulled the chariot for about 20 steps as part of the ritual chariot procession.
