Police, protesters clash in Nepalese capital over constitution

Hundreds of protesters from Nepal’s ethnic minorities have clashed with riot police in the Nepalese capital over the Himalayan nation’s controversial new constitution.

On Sunday, the demonstrators, mostly from the Madhesi ethnic group, blocked the main street in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, creating traffic jams and chanting slogans against the government and the new constitution, which they say leaves them politically further marginalized.

“The government is not serious about our demands and is moving forward independently, even reversing the agreements we have reached in the past,” said the chairman of a regional party that represents the Madhesi minority group.

Reports said the protesters tried to break through a police barricade, pelted stones and smashed governmental office windows. They were quickly pushed back by police forces, however.

No casualties were reported in the protests.