Sitamarhi Tense After Firing Near India-Nepal Border: One dead, two injured

Tensions along India-Nepal border in Sitamarhi district of Bihar rose sharply after one Indian Citizen was killed and two others injured, when Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) officials allegedly opened fire on Indian citizens near

According to local media sources in Sitamarhi, locals along the border villages of Jankinagar and Soharwa were headed to a wedding in Nepal, when they were not permitted to travel into Nepal further, owing to the ongoing border sealing between the two nations, due to Coronavirus.

Local media have reported that, the Indian nationals then protested against it, which lead to further confrontation between Nepal APF and Indian nationals.

According to Nepal news outlets, the protest quickly escalated and two Nepal police officials were beaten up, after which those protesting tried to snatch the gun of one of the jawans, that is when Nepal police resorted to firing. All of this, they say happened inside Nepalese territory and not immediately along Indo-Nepal border. MyRepublica has claimed, “The Indian nationals are said to be smugglers who were trying to enter Nepal. Amid the lockdown and tightened security along the border, the alleged cross-border movement of smugglers has also been restricted.”

However, locals in the area have reported that Nepal police fired upon farmers who were simply tending to their fields.

Father of the Indian national killed by Nepali forces narrates the ordeal. Breaks down as talks about how his son was fired on the chest. https://t.co/kFsDBN1n0o pic.twitter.com/bGeN4GwYFu

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) June 12, 2020

Meanwhile Sitamarhi SP Anil Kumar has said that “There was troubles across Pillar Number 319/24 under Sonbarsa Block, when some youths from Janki Nagar and Soharwa clashed with Nepal SSB, when one of them was killed and three others have been injured. We are inquiring into the incident. भारत नेपाल सीमा पर पिलर संख्या 319/24 के पार सोनबरसा प्रखण्ड के जानकी नगर एवम सहोरवा के कुछ ग्रामीणों एवम सशस्त्र नेपाल पुलिस के बीच हुई झड़प में नेपाल पुलिस की फायरिंग से तीन स्थानीय (भारतीय) युवक को गोली लगी, एक की मौत ।”

As such, India-Nepal border areas has seen rising tensions in the recent days, Sitamarhi incidence is bound to add more fuel to the fire if not reported objectively.