India behind Madhesh unrest; Birgunj police firing in self-defense clarifies Home Ministry

Kathmandu / November 3: In a clear indication of Indian involvement in the ongoing movement of tarai a demonstrator of Indian nationality was killed and two Indian nationals arrested during the unrest in Birgunj on Monday.

Earlier there were incidents of protestors hurling stones to Nepali security forces from the Indian side and in one of the photograph posted in facebook some demonstrators were hurling stones to Nepali security forces from the roof of Indian Police Office.

Similarly, there are reports of Indian businessmen feeding the protestors in bordering areas. India has been imposing undeclared blockade to Nepal following the promulgation of new constitution through the Constituent Assembly of Nepal. Some tarai based political parties have been acting at the tune of India and creating chaos in some parts of Nepal, where majority of people are against their protest and sometimes organized rally against the protestors.

Regarding Monday’s incident of killing of one protestor, the Ministry of Home Affairs has stated that the police was forced to open fire under compulsion in connection to the incident that took place in Parsa as the crowd started pushing towards the police despite using 44 tear gas shells to take the situation under control.

Ministry spokesman Laxmi Dhakal said 22-year-old Ashish Kumar Ram of Raxaul-11, East Champaran, Bihar, India was killed in the incident The Ministry also stated that no force was used by the police in course of removing the protesters who were obstructing Birgunj Raxaul check point on the Nepal-India border at 5.30 am Monday.

The Home Ministry spokesman also said that curfew has been imposed in Birgunj area from 3 pm as the situation there remained tense after the protesters in course of the clash in the afternoon lobbed petrol bomb at the telecom office at Birgunj Ghantaghar, thereby causing damage to the office.

It is stated that two among the five people who were taken under control for their involvement in the incident are Indians.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli this evening held telephone talks with Indian Prime Narendra Modi about the Birgunj incident.

Indian Prime Minister Modi telephoned Prime Minister Oli and expressed his concerns over the Birgunj incident in which an Indian national was killed. In response, Prime Minister apprised his Indian counterpart that the incident was in self-defence by security forces, according to his press advisor Pramod Dahal.

He urged the Indian Prime Minister not to worry about the safety of his nationals in Nepal and to ensure smooth supplies of daily essentials to Nepal. The two also exchanged views on the ongoing Tarai/Madhes agitation and the possible ways for its end. (With inputs from RSS)