One Indian killed, two injured in firing by Nepal forces near border

About 30 Indians crossed into Nepal's territory in district of Sarlahi and clashed with police, says official

KATHMANDU:  Nepali border guards opened fire Friday after a group of Indians crossed the frontier, killing one man and wounding two, police said.

It was the latest in a series of incidents along the border which Nepal has tightened since imposing a nationwide pandemic lockdown in March.

About 30 Indians crossed about 100 metres (yards) into Nepal's territory in the southern district of Sarlahi and clashed with police when stopped, district police chief Ganga Ram Shrestha told AFP.

Shrestha said the guards at first fired into the air when scores of people gathered and hurled stones and bricks at police and also snatched a gun.



"The police were forced to fire five rounds to recover the gun, injuring three people. We learnt that one of them died during treatment in India," Shrestha said.

Three Nepali border police were also injured, he added. Indian media said one man was also detained and that officials from the two sides had held talks.

Nepali authorities have stepped up border security because of increased incidents during the lockdown along the 1,750 kilometres (1,100 miles) frontier which is traditionally open.

Last month police in the western district of Jhapa fired blank rounds to disperse dozens of Indian farmers trying to cross the border.

Territorial tensions

There are also increased territorial tensions between the neighbours after India opened a new road into a disputed zone.

The Nepal Parliament is set to vote at the weekend on a new map of its border with India, an official said on Thursday, underlining the Himalayan nation's determination to press its case in the land dispute that has strained ties with its neighbour.



Nepal published a revised map in May showing the sliver of land on its northwest tip as its territory, a move rejected by India, which controls the area and says the land belongs to it.

New Delhi rejected Nepal's latest map, calling it a "unilateral act" that was not based on historical facts or evidence.

The Nepalese government has tabled the new map in the parliament, seeking to amend the constitution and remove the old version, with a vote expected on Saturday.