Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to his Nepalese counterpart K.P. Oli to express his concern over the killing of an Indian national in a police firing in Nepal.
PM spoke to Nepal PM Shri KP Oli. He expressed concern on the incident & requested for details.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 2, 2015
PM has expressed shock & condemned the unfortunate killing of a youngster from Bihar due to police firing in Nepal.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 2, 2015
A second year BA student was killed, and six others injured in a firing by the Nepal Police during protests at the Indo-Nepal Border near Bihar’s Raxaul town.
Prime Minister Modi’s move assumes significance in the wake of the ongoing Bihar Assembly Elections, which will go to the fifth and last phase of polling on November 5.
On the supply of fuel and other essential commodities, the Prime Minister, however, told Prime Minister Oli that there was no obstacle from the Indian side.
On supply of fuel & other essentials, PM assured that there is no obstacle from the Indian side.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 2, 2015
At the same time, PM urged Nepalese leaders to work towards ensuring an early & effective solution to the crisis.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 2, 2015
Earlier, expressing India’s concern over the killing, Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said India is deeply concerned at reports of firing in Birgunj, as 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,” he said.
“Indian freight forwarders and transporters have voiced their worries again today (Monday) about the deteriorating situation across the border. We are advising them to exercise caution and not put themselves in danger. We are monitoring the situation carefully’,” he added.
Nepal Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay, however, termed the incident “very sad”, adding that he came to know about it from the media.
He said he was not confirmed about the identity of the victim. “Even now, I am not confirmed about the identity of the boy [who was killed]. It will be confirmed by our government, and only then I will be able to speak about it,” he added.
“The police were trying to remove protesters in an effort to give passage to over 320 Indian trucks stranded in Nepal for a few days. Our primary concern is to send back the stranded trucks to India, and that’s why the incident happened,” said Upadhyay, adding that the officers concerned were looking into the occurrence.
“This is a bilateral issue between India and Nepal. We need to consult each other politically and diplomatically as well,” said Upadhyay.
He, however, added that a peace dialogue between agitating political parties and the Nepal Government was going on to end the crisis situation.
Earlier, Upadhyay called upon the Ministry of External Affairs in the wake of the killing.