Nepal-India Border Dispute: Nepalese Reactions Online

Couple of weeks back, reports of alleged land encroachment by India border security forces hit the Nepalese media. On the historic perspective on Nepal-India border, Nepaldemocracy has an in-depth report.

According to Republica:

“Some 2000 Nepalis from villages on Nepal-India border who have been displaced due to alleged harassment by Indian border security forces are running out of the meager food stuff they brought with them. [..]

The number of displaced due to harassment by India´s border security force — Sashastra Surakshya Bal (SSB) — is increasing. Even on Tuesday, some 250 came to Satbariya. Many are still on the highway not knowing where to go.”

Nepal's government has promised to look into the issue but the public anger is palpable. Around the country several protest rallies have been organized. Maoists and student organizations are taking the lead. According to Nepalnews, student organizations have decided to send delegation to border areas to asses the situation.

Online, reactions to the dispute ranges from frustration to call to regulate open Indo-Nepal border and organize grassroots citizen effort to publicize the issue and force peaceful and equitable solution.

Bivash, a blogger who is sympathetic towards the Maoists, points towards the open border between India and Nepal as a security problem and that regulated border could help ease tension.

“The open border is always operating at the pleasure of Indian interest. India has time and again used the open border issue to threaten Nepal whenever it feels that Nepal is not responding to its interest. There are incidents of major transit points closed for long duration by India without consulting Nepal as a punishment for dealing with other countries without India’s prior knowledge and consent.

However, after the birth of Maoist insurgency in Nepal, and especially in the past few years, India is also feeling the heat of negative implication of the left-wing and anti-Indian coordination in both countries that is linked to its internal security concern. So, it is the time for not only Nepal, but also India to rethink its strategic policy about the open border in the changing context of regional security as well as cross border undesirable activities. Being a small country, Nepal is suffering more from India in the negative consequences of the unregulated movement of population across the open border.”

Some frustrated citizens are also taking the matters to the court. Lawyer Santosh Basnet and journalist Pushpa Thapaliya have asked Nepal's Supreme Court to intervene.

“Meanwhile, lawyer Santosh Basnet and journalist Pushpa Thapaliya filed a public interest litigation in Nepal's Supreme Court, accusing the government of having failed to protect its citizens in the border areas.

The petitioners have asked the apex court to order the government to protect border villages from encroachment by India.

The Prime Minister's Office, council of ministers, home ministry and land reforms and management ministry have been named in the petition as having failed to execute their responsibilities.”

Nepali language blog MySansar is spearheading efforts to mobilize Nepalese online to publicize the issue. They are calling for global day of action on June 15th, asking readers to send banners, posters to protest the alleged encroachment.

At Facebook, several groups are popping up to protest alleged encroachment by India, and there are some videos posted at YouTube on the issue. Here is a video on the border dispute from the Nepalese side.

While majority of these efforts by Nepalese are an honest effort, there are some groups at Facebook who are dangerously promoting hate and xenophobia against India. At Mysansar too, some posters sent by readers for the global day of action are racist and biased, administrators there have not taken down the offensive images.

9 comments

  • Upendra Gautam

    The power bloc in the Republic of India (TROI), created in 1947, does not sincerely recognize Nepal as an independent country. It talks about Nepal’s independence in only those times when it diplomatically needs to avoid bad consequences of its “doings” in Nepal. It treats Nepal as territory for playing out its power games. And it plays these games “internally” by promising each “big” leader of every Nepali political party the post of Nepal’s prime ministership/presidency. The memoirs/books by BP Koirala, GM Singh, KP Bhattarai, MP Koirala, Bharat Mohan Adhikari eloquently record the way the power bloc of TROI plays in Nepal. This also explains the rationale for short term tenure of government leadership in Nepal (10 prime ministers in the last 10 years) and the incentive this (short term tenure of the government leadership) holds for the TROI power bloc.

    Just compare the size (territory) TROI had when it was created in 1947 and the one it claims now. One may visit a good library for the yearly Almanac of the Statesman (Calcutta) and pick up it for 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 (this is an example for yearly sample and interval). This will very clearly establish not only the fact about the up- scaling “elasticity” of TROI territory in Trans-Himalayan Asia but also the unilaterally imposed so-called open border on the innocent people of Nepal. TROI is manipulative enough to work “internally” in Nepal as its formal takeover or annexation of Nepal will bring it directly over to Tibet Autonomous Region of China; and the security and economic costs of such doing will be simply infinite for TROI.

    • tim sena

      this is ridiculous, Gov is doing nothing. We don’t expect Gov to be anti-India but they have to show the gut to speak for their people and nation.

      This is crazy! I can not believe politicians are so desperate to work only for the Indians. These folks need to pay back the country sooner the better.

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  • Amit

    India and Nepal are friendliest neighbor.I am Indian ,its definitely not an indian Act ,but act of Chinese propaganda to spread hatred.Indian government will take matters seriously to effected area and people.

    • Prithivi Shah

      Good thing that i found someone that understands this matter. The government that you are talking about is playing this game. If you check some videos then you can see how the opposite have been shown that we (Nepali) are taking over Indian Land of Bihar. The truth is that we don’t have very much of our security on that side and the S.P. of indian police harrased Nepali citizens and forced them to leave their land. This matter is getting very popular so we are coming to Bihar to welcome in our house. I hope not to see any violence there???

    • Gul Sher Khan

      dont lie, According to Chankia Philosophy India has no frnd in the neighbouring countries!!! Stop swallowing NEPAL.

  • kale dhoti

    mudder fuker dhotis. this makes my blood boil. bloody backstabbing dhotis. i , for the life of me cannot understand why Nepal doesn’t kick these chutiya indians out of Nepal like Sri Lanka did. shame on coward politicians and shame on nalayak Nepali janata. shame on them.

  • Gul Sher Khan

    Stop You foolish Nepalese why don’t you show some guts??????? Take help from Indian rivals China and Pakistan. Please save your country otherwise soon you’ll become an Indian state and then enforced to be converted to Hinduism by Extremist Hindu Parties. Y dont you guys come up to streets and ask ur govt to go to UNO??????????????????????????????????????

  • Gul Sher Khan

    SHAME ON NEPALESE POLITICIANS! DEFEND YOUR COUNTRY O NEPALESE BRAVE PEOPLE, YOU GUYS HAVE HIMALYAN STRENGTH IF U GUYS GET UNITED AGAINST INDIAN AGGRESSION!

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