Aftermath News: Nepal’s new Maoist government accused of mounting “Cultural Revolution”

Nepal’s Maoist government has sparked rioting and allegations of launching a “cultural revolution” by withdrawing funding for animal sacrifices at a popular religious festival.

Telegraph | Sep 22, 2008
Nepal: Riots as Maoist governments cut sacrifice subsidy
By Thomas Bell
Last week the finance minister, presenting the national budget, announced that a £100 allowance to buy sacrificial goats and buffalos would be withdrawn.
The animals are decapitated at the culmination of the Indra Jatra festival, when Kathmandu receives the blessing of its “living goddess” – a young girl regarded as an incarnation of the goddess Teleju.
“The Maoist government is trying to stamp out cultural and religious festivals,” said Rajan Maharajan, one of the living goddess’s guardians. “It’s their first step towards a cultural revolution.”
Young men from the conservative Newar community, which dominates central Kathmandu and reveres the living goddess, went on the rampage over the weekend, throwing bricks and clashing with police amid the city’s ancient temples. The police responded with tear gas.
In an attempt to end the chaos the government agreed on Sunday to continue funding the festival, and to pay the medical bills of injured protesters. But it was too late for the conclusion of this year’s Indra Jatra.
For the first time in history, Nepal’s new president was due to receive the living goddess’s blessing in place of the king but the ceremony had to be cancelled amid the continuing protests.
Earlier this year the country’s monarchy – traditionally seen as a guardian of religious traditions – was abolished and a Maoist government installed following national elections. After a decade of civil war the world’s only Hindu Kingdom became a secular republic.