Kathmandu: An Indian national was killed and three others were injured Friday when Nepal’s Armed Police Force (NAPF) personnel opened fire at a group of Indians. They claimed the Indians were forcibly trying to enter into the Nepalese territory after crossing the southern border during lockdown.
Nepal’s Additional Inspector General of NAPF Narayan Babu Thapa told said Friday 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,” Thapa said.
“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 three others were injured,” Thapa added.
The Indian nationals, who came from Bihar’s Sitamarhi, were trying to enter Nepal despite the lockdown. They even used force against the police personnel, the senior officer alleged. 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.
Relations between India and Nepal have strained in the recent past. A couple of weeks Nepal had marked some of India’s area as its own in a map. The map had been approved by the Nepal parliament also. It led to India lodging a stern protest against Nepal.
A couple of days back Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had once again said that those area’s marked in the map are Nepal’s own. He also said that Nepal will get back those areas through dialogue with India.