An Indian national was killed and two others were injured on Friday when Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) personnel opened fire at a group of Indians, who, they claimed, forcibly tried to enter into the Nepalese territory after crossing the southern border during lockdown.
Nepal’s Additional Inspector General of Police of the APF Narayan Babu Thapa told PTI that the incident occurred when a group of 25-30 Indians, who were trying to enter Nepal from the Indo-Nepal border in Sarlahi district, attacked the Nepalese security personnel at Narayanpur area of Parsa Rural Municipality.
“After they were stopped at the border area by the forward base of the Armed Police Force, who were deployed to enforce the lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, dozens of others joined them and pelted stones on the security personnel.
“They even snatched weapons from one of our security men. After firing 10 rounds of bullets in the air, our personnel had to open fire in self-defence in which one person was killed and two others were injured,” Thapa said.
The Indian nationals, who came from Bihar’s Sitamarhi, were trying to enter Nepal despite the lockdown and even used force against the police personnel, the senior officer said.
The incident took place some 75 metres inside the Nepalese territory from the no-man’s land, Thapa added.
Following the incident, the Nepalese security personnel held consultation with their counterparts from the Indian side and the situation has now returned to normalcy, the officer said, adding “we are further investigating the matter”.
Confirming the incident, Indian officials added that an Indian national, Laagan Yadav (45), has been taken into custody by the Nepal border police.
Kumar Rajesh Chandra, director general of India’ border force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), told PTI in Delhi that the incident took place around 8:40 am “deep inside Nepalese territory”.
The situation is normal now and “our local commanders immediately got in touch with our Nepalese counterparts APF”, Chandra said.
Vikesh Yadav (22), who suffered a bullet injury in the abdomen area, has succumbed, while Uday Thakur (24) and Umesh Ram (18) are injured and admitted to a private hospital in Sitamarhi, which is around 85 kilometers from Bihar capital Patna, according to the officials.
As per preliminary reports obtained from locals, the confrontation began when APF troops objected to the presence of Laagan Yadav’s daughter-in-law in their area after they saw her talking to some people from India, they said.
Laagan Yadav’s daughter-in-law is from Nepal.
There are relations between locals on either side of this border, and as the front is not fenced, people move around to meet their family members, the officials said.
APF personnel objected to this meeting following which there was a heated argument between the two sides and later, about 75-80 Indians gathered at the spot, they said.
The APF has claimed that they first fired in the air to disperse the crowd and fearing snatching of their weapons, they later initiated aimed fire in which three people got hit, the officials said.
The incident area is between Jankinagar of Sitamarhi district and Sarlahi in Nepal, they said.
The SSB is tasked to guard the 1,751 km open India-Nepal border.
