The historic Liglig race in Palungtar, Gorkha, could not begin on Thursday after the District Administration Office asked the municipality not to hold the event, citing security challenges. The request came after Palungtar Municipality had completed its legal and managerial preparations, prompting municipal officials to criticise the administration for intervening at the last moment. A dispute between the municipality and local residents had preceded the administration’s request to stop the race.
Race halted after security concerns
The District Administration Office’s request prevented the race from going ahead as planned on Thursday. The administration cited security challenges but, according to the information provided by the municipality, the event had already gone through legal and managerial preparations. The race therefore did not begin despite the municipality’s readiness to hold it.
The available information does not specify the nature of the security challenges or detail what arrangements had been made. It also does not state whether the administration proposed a new date or whether the race might be held later. The immediate result, however, was that the historic event was stopped on the day it was due to take place.
The intervention followed a dispute between Palungtar Municipality and local residents. The details of that disagreement have not been provided, and neither the issues at its centre nor the positions taken by residents are clear. The dispute preceded the administration’s request, placing the municipal-local disagreement before the decision to halt the race.
Municipality criticises last-minute intervention
At a press conference on Thursday, Palungtar Municipality criticised the District Administration Office for imposing the restriction at the last moment. The municipality described the move as a sign of weakness on the administration’s part, objecting to the timing of the request after it had completed preparations for the event.
The municipality’s criticism centred on the administration’s decision to stop the race when preparations were already complete. Its statement conveyed dissatisfaction with how the issue was handled, while the administration’s stated reason for requesting the halt was security. The information available does not include a response from the administration to the municipality’s criticism.
Uncertainty over the event’s next steps
The cancellation leaves the status of the Liglig race uncertain. No further plan for holding the event has been announced in the information provided, and there is no indication of whether the municipality and local residents have reached an understanding following their dispute. The administration’s request, the municipality’s objection and the unresolved disagreement are the key developments surrounding Thursday’s halt.
For now, the race did not take place despite the municipality’s completed legal and managerial preparations. The disagreement over the event has brought the relationship between the local government, residents and the district administration into focus, but the specific concerns behind the dispute and the security assessment remain unclear. Any decision on a future edition or a rescheduled event has not been reported.
