Violent protests after Nepal rejects proposal to declare itself a Hindu nation

Update: 2015-09-15 07:39 GMT

Nepal's Constituent Assembly rejected calls to remove the key term 'secularism' from the new Constitution and officially make it a Hindu state, on Tuesday, triggering protests by Hindu activists.

Protesting the rejection of the proposal, a group of Hindu activists carrying yellow and saffron flags clashed with security personnel at New Baneshwar area in the capital.

Mr Thapa's proposal for a vote received the support of only 21 lawmakers in the 601-seat Constituent Assembly. As the CA Rules requires 61 persons to begin the split voting, the voting was not done.

After Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang announced that the proposal has been rejected, Rastirya Prajatantra Party's Kamal Thapa demanded split voting, the Himalayan Times reported.

The proposal was made by Rastirya Prajatantra Party Nepal or National Democratic Party Nepal which demanded that secularism be removed from the Constitution in the Article 4 and Hindu state be mentioned instead.

As the Constituent Assembly resumed voting on individual articles of the Constitution draft, more than two-thirds of the lawmakers rejected the amendment proposal to make Nepal a Hindu state and reaffirmed that it will remain a secular nation.

Violent protests after Nepal rejects proposal to declare itself a Hindu nation

Violent protests after Nepal rejects proposal to declare itself a Hindu nation

Violent protests after Nepal rejects proposal to declare itself a Hindu nation

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