Belaspur settlement in ward 3 of Palhinandan Rural Municipality in Nawalparasi West remained tense for several hours on Tuesday following a clash between two local groups.

Nineteen people, including 15 police personnel, were injured in the clash that ensued over an alleged love affair between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man. A pick-up van and a scrap godown were set ablaze by the protesters.

According to Superintendent of Police Gyanendra Prasad Phuyal, the security personnel fired five teargas canisters and three shots into the air to take the situation under control. The situation is currently normal, according to Phuyal. "The situation is under control now. Discussions are on with both the groups to bring the incident back to normal,” he said.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed around the incident site.