Nepal Deputy PM meets Rajnath, discusses border situation

The Home Minister said any incident that takes place, even unknowingly, should be settled through joint inspection and investigation by the representatives of the two sides.

New Delhi, Mar 16: Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal Bimalendra Nidhi on Thursday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the situation along the Indo-Nepal border which witnessed clashes recently.

Singh expressed grief over the death of a Nepalese national at the Indo-Nepal border in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. He said India will carry out a fair and impartial inquiry into the incident and include the Nepalese counterparts in the effort to arrive at the truth.

The Home Minister said any incident that takes place, even unknowingly, should be settled through joint inspection and investigation by the representatives of the two sides. Singh also sought regular meetings between border guarding force Sashastra Seema Bal and its Nepalese counterpart Armed Police Force.

The Home Minister told Nidhi, who is also Nepal's Home Minister, that the two countries enjoy a friendly and familial relationship in all areas including security and border cooperation. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Ambassador of Nepal in India Deep Kumar Upadhyaya along with senior officers of ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs were present in the meeting.

A Nepalese man was killed on March 9 when the Indian border guards allegedly opened fire following a dispute over construction of a culvert on Sano Khola river along the frontier in Uttar Pradesh. The Indian embassy in Kathmandu had denied any firing by SSB personnel deployed on the Indian side of the border.

PTI