Nepal police clear protesters from main border point

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the killing of an Indian youth and spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Oli to seek details about the incident.

Nepal blames Indian security forces for not stopping the protesters when they flee into Indian territory to escape Nepalese police.

These vehicles were carrying essential fuels, LPG, medicines and food items for supply to the landlocked country.

Police shot at ethnic protesters who attacked a police station with petrol bomb and stones on Nepal’s southern border, killing an Indian man who was among the attackers, Nepalese officials said.

But Patel said Monday’s police action showed the government was not committed to resolving the crisis through dialogue.

“We are deeply concerned at reports coming in of firing today (Monday) in Birgunj”.

Nepal’s Home Secretary Surya Silwal confirmed that a protester had been killed in a clash with police.

Initially the government was insisting that the issue of the size of the states be resolved through a government-appointed commission, but Thapa said it would be discussed as a political issue, as demanded by the protesters.

He said Indian freight forwarders and transporters have voiced their worries again on Monday about the deteriorating situation across the border.

The United States stands with the Nepali people as they continue along a peaceful, inclusive path to democracy, the spokesperson said. “We are monitoring the situation very closely in coordination with Nepalese security forces and agencies”, he said.

The protesters, from Nepal’s Madhesi ethnic minority, want the government to change the constitution because they say a new federal structure it lays out will mean they are under-represented in parliament. All trucks, including fuel carriers, have been barred from entering Nepal.

Nepal imports nearly all its oil from India and road links to China through the Himalayas have been blocked since the April natural disaster.

It has prompted authorities in Kathmandu to accuse New Delhi of backing the demonstrators and imposing an “unofficial blockade” to register its dissatisfaction with the new constitution.

“Why is India rallying behind the four Madhes-based parties”, he asked, adding that it was Nepal’s responsibility to address the grievances of the various agitating groups.

Officials said the border blockade had created a crippling fuel shortage in Nepal.

India had a monopoly on Nepal’s fuel supplies for decades but tensions over the blockade have prompted Nepal to turn to its northern neighbour, China.

Lawmakers finally reached agreement in June, spurred by a massive quake two months earlier that killed almost 8,900 people and left more than half a million people homeless.