Authorities caught unawares of protests despite calls for allowing the Machhindranath chariot festival

The rituals will now start Friday without the chariot and authorities have declared a curfew within the Ring Road in Lalitpur district from 4am to 10pm as precautionary measures.

Around 10 am on Thursday, around 100 people gathered near the chariot of Rato Machhindranath to protest the authorities’ turning a blind eye to the festival.