Lalitpur, Sept. 4 -- 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.

But soon, despite prohibitory orders being in place, 100 became 200 and within a couple of hours, there were over 500 people assembled in Pulchowk, dime baja and bhusya in hands, urging people to pull the chariot of the rain god.

"The people you see here came because of their faith. We didn't have to call anyone. They came here out of their own free will," said Rabi Shakya, a local from Patan.

But things quickly turned ugly. Despite repeated warnings by the police, locals continued to protest, and pull the chariot.

A clash between the locals and the police fo...