By Yalu Joshi, Lalitpur, Sept. 3: The police and the locals of Patan, who staged a demonstration demanding their cultural rights to perform Rato Machhindranath Jatra, got into a scuffle on Thursday afternoon.  

A police officer of Metropolitan Police Range, Lalitpur, told the TRN Online that they fired tear gas to prevent the locals from getting into a brawl with the police.

He said that the details of people who got injured in the scuffle were yet to be ascertained.

"We have been counseling the locals to not conduct the Rato Machindranath Jatra this year as the fear of COVID-19 spread is looming around all of us in the valley," said the police officer.

The Patan locals were staginig demonstrations with placards demanding the approval to conduct the Rato Machindranath Jatra to preserve their culture.

The locals said that the Jatra would be held with strict adherence to all the safety measures against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Machindranath chariot, which was supposed to be pulled in the month of Baisakh is in a stranded state until now. We cannot destroy our culture like this," said Surendra Tuladhar, a local.

He said that the government should allow to celebrate the Machindranath chariot festival in such a way that all the safety protocols are followed.

Over hundreds of youths, present at Pulchowk, started the chariot procession on Thursday afternoon while protesting for their cultural rights.

The Police had been requesting the locals to stop the chariot procession, which led to a scuffle between them.

Astrologist Daibagya Kirtimadan Joshi said that the chariot procession could be completed by avoiding crowding.

The main priest Kapil Bajracharya said that the chariot procession had never stopped in the past regardless of the difficult situations.

Holding fair in the name of God holds even more greater significance during this pandemic, said priest Bajracharya.

The chariot procession was done in 2015 when the earthquake had hit Nepal.

"It is not a good sign to stop god's procession. It should be allowed that the festival is observed by adopting all the safety measures," he added.