04 Sept. 2013: Christian communities in Kathmandu, Nepal are being forced to bury
their dead outside official cemeteries. Local sources told AsiaNews that "since the
government has banned the construction of a cemetery near the Hindu shrine of Pashupatinath,
Christians and other religious minorities in the country must perform their funeral
rites in forests, near rivers, away from population centres and places under the control
of Hindu radicals." Two years ago, city authorities decided to protect this Hindu
temple from the presence of other religions, preventing Nepalis from other religious
groups from carrying out their funeral rites near the sanctuary. "It was decided to
protect the sacredness of Hindu land," said Sushil Nahata,a member of the Pashupati
Area Development Trust (PADT)."In some areas, cemeteries were expanding in an unregulated
manner. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that Christians are given
specific and separate areas." As a result of government action, religious minorities
in the Kathmandu Valley found themselves forced to bury their dead in hidden places,
far from population centres, with the risk of desecration by some Hindu groups. Source:
Asianews