Nation»
SSB man guns down Nepali
, MAY 26, MAY 26 -
An inebriated inspector of India’s Seema Sashastra Bal (SSB) shot dead a local at Khayarbana of Amahibariyati VDC, Morang, on Tuesday night.
SSB Inspector Hitendra Singh reached the village some 300 metres from the Nepal-India border and gunned down 55-year-old Basudev Sah, the District Police Office (DPO) Morang said. Sah died on the spot.
Trans-border movement came to a standstill at Khayarbana border point as a huge number of security personnel were deployed on both sides.
Balram Sah, an eyewitness, said SSB inspector Hitendra arrived in the village on his motorcycle (BR 38 B 0036) along with constable Mohan Singh Soda at around 9 p.m. “Bashdev sustained the bullet injury when Hitendra opened fire aiming at Shambhu Kumar Chaudhary, head constable at Amahiyati Police Post,” Balram said.
According to villagers, the SSB personnel duo fled to India after the incident leaving behind the motorcycle. Locals later handed over the motorcycle to police.
On Tuesday evening, Harishchandra Mandal, an Indian national, entered Nepali territory carrying a tin of oil. Hitendra came to the village with arms to inquire of the police about the smuggling of oil. He had a heated dispute with Chaudhary and accused Nepal Police of abetting smugglers.
Eyewitnesses said the SSB man opened fire aiming at Chaudhary amid the verbal altercation. “The bullet hit Basudev in the chest when Chaudhary ducked,” said Balram.
Head constable Chaudhary said, “The SSB inspector fired three rounds.” He added that Nepal Police also fired two rounds in the air.
SP Dipak Thapa at the Morang DPO and DIG KP Singh at SSB headquarters in Purnia of Bihar held informal talks on Wednesday and agreed to probe into the matter. Initially, the Indian side refuted its involvement in the shootout.
DIG Singh admitted Basudev died at the hands of the SSB inspector. He said Hitendra fired in self-defence as Nepali people dragged him into Nepali territory.
DIG Singh sought the return of r the motorcycle used by the SSB inspector. SP Thapa turned down his request and said he could not as it was evidence of the incident. “We will hand over the bike to the court as proof of the incident,” Thapa said.
Call for action
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, MAY 26
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has taken up the murder of a Nepali national by Seema Sashastra Bal (SSB) with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) demanding necessary action against the guilty personnel.
The Home Ministry has urged the MoFA to take necessary action to book the guilty and provide compensation to the victim’s family. It said that the Indian security personnel fled the scene on a motorcycle when Nepal Police fired two shots in air as a warning.
According to the Home Ministry, SSB Inspector Hitendra Singh entered Nepal along with two jawans and opened fired at Basudev Sah, 55, of Bayarwana of Amahibariyati, after a debate with locals over charges of cooking oil smuggling. Sah succumbed to his injuries at Koshi Zonal Hospital while undergoing treatment.
Posted on: 2010-05-27 07:51
Headlines
Advertisements
