The curfew that has been in place since Monday morning following a Hindu-Muslim clash in Lalpur area of Gulariya Municipality, Bardiya district has been lifted from 9 am on Tuesday.

Vehicular movement along the Gulariya-Nepalgunj road section has come into operation after the local administration lifted the curfew this morning.

Though the curfew has been lifted, a large number of security personnel have been deployed in the Lalpur area.

Personnel from the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force (APF) have been kept on standby in the sensitive areas along the road section.

The tension between the two groups started on Sunday, the day when the Hindus were due to immerse the idol of goddess Durga and the local Muslims were observing Tazia, a religious procession.

As many as seven locals and two police personnel were injured in the clash.

Police resorted to baton charge, fired eight rounds of bullets into the air and also lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob.

According to Chief District Officer Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the curfew was lifted after the situation gradually turned normal.

It has been learnt that the adverse situation came due to the sheer weakness of the local administration.

A shop and a house were torched in the incident.

A meeting of both the groups held at the office of local administration has demanded proper compensation and action against the guilty.