A rumoured 13-point agreement between Home Minister Sudan Gurung and a group calling itself Hindu Samrat Sena sparked controversy on Saturday evening after it included a proposal to discuss restoring Nepal as a Hindu state.

The rumoured agreement proposed holding an all-party discussion on restoring Nepal as a Hindu state, prompting criticism and raising questions over whether the home minister had the authority to negotiate such an issue.

However, officials involved in the talks denied that any formal agreement had been reached.

Prem Prasad Luitel, Chief District Officer of Dhanusha, who participated in the discussions, told Kantipur that the meeting was not a negotiation resulting in an agreement but an opportunity for the groups to present their demands to the government.

“The situations in Siraha and Sunsari were different because those involved were the state and the victims’ families,” Luitel said. “In Dhanusha, no such incident has taken place. No opposing parties were negotiating with each other. The groups came to submit their demands to the Government of Nepal following the recent incidents.”

He said the government had simply received the memorandum and listened to the concerns raised by the groups.

“They have demanded relief for affected families and raised several other issues. The state has simply accepted their memorandum. There has been no agreement,” he said.

On Sunday morning, a copy of the memorandum submitted to Minister Gurung in the name of the Joint Hindu Front was made public.

Among its demands is that discussion on restoring Nepal as a Hindu state be initiated through an all-party meeting within three months, with a clear timeline for the process.

The memorandum also calls for stricter enforcement against the public display of weapons during religious festivals and ceremonies organised by any religion, sect or community, with legal action against those who violate the rule.

It further urges the government to regulate the use of external loudspeakers and public address systems installed at temples, monasteries, mosques, madrasas, churches and other religious sites, allowing amplified sound only within the premises for essential religious activities.

The memorandum bears the signatures of representatives of the Hindu Samrat Sena, the Gorkha Youth Committee, the National Bajrang Dal and several other Hindu organisations.

Shortly after the document surfaced, the Hindu Samrat Sena and other groups issued public statements denying that they had reached any agreement with the government.

Some groups later demanded a direct meeting with the home minister, saying they wanted an opportunity to present their concerns in person.

Minister Gurung held a fresh round of talks with representatives of the Hindu Samrat Sena in Janakpur on Sunday afternoon.

During the meeting, the group submitted a six-point memorandum. Speaking to journalists afterwards, its representatives said the home minister had responded positively to their demands and assured them that the government would consider the issues they had raised.

The discussions ended with Gurung assuring the group that its demands would be taken into consideration.

An official involved in the discussions said the government was engaging with all concerned groups to prevent fresh tensions following the recent communal unrest in Tarai.

“The situation has only recently begun to calm down. The government is trying to listen to all sides so that tensions do not escalate again,” the official said.

Speaking to Kantipur on Saturday evening, Gurung said he would remain in the Tarai and continue consultations with all stakeholders until tensions in the region had fully subsided.