Indian killed in Nepal Police firing at border

An Indian was killed in firing by the Nepal Police at the Raxaul-Birganj border trading point on Monday.

India cautioned the Himalayan nation against resorting to force to tackle issues that led to the 40-day blockade. Hundreds of goods vehicles are stuck at the border and have been advised by the government to exercise caution and not put themselves in danger.

The Nepal police used force to evict Madhesi protesters from the Miteri bridge at the border in a pre-dawn swoop by opening the main Birganj-Raxaul border trading point, 100 km from Kathmandu.

One Asish Kumar Ram (24) from Raxaul in Bihar died near the Shankaracharya Gate, the main gateway to Nepal from India.

Within hours, India summoned Nepal Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyaya. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Nepali counterpart K P Oli and expressed concerns over the incident and the prevailing tense situation near the border.

“Issues facing Nepal are political in nature and cannot be resolved by force. Causes underlying the present state of confrontation need to be addressed by the Government of Nepal credibly and effectively,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated.

The MEA was refering to promulgation of the new Constitution of Nepal, which has reportedly not addressed the interests of Madhesi and Tharu communities, who live in the Terai region, leading to the agitation and violence in the border areas for more than a month.

As landlocked Nepal depends heavily on India for essential commodities and fuel, a virtual halt on truck movement through the busiest border crossing point triggered a crisis in Kathmandu, which is short on supplies.

Nepal accused India of engineering the blockade and signed an agreement with China to supply petroleum products. The first batch of supplies which arrived from China will only fulfil one third of its demands.

For the rest, Kathmandu needs India, but there is a 15-km long queue of vehicles waiting for clearance from Indian authorities to enter Nepal, said the Himalayan nation’s Home Ministry spokesperson Laxmi Prasad Dhakal.

The southern plains of Nepal has been on the boil since the Constitution was formally adopted on September 20. Over 40 people have died in the violent agitation.

As the Raxaul-Birganj trading point remains closed, India agreed to re-route trucks through other border crossing points in Uttar Pradesh.