Nepal asks India to probe killing of its national at border

Nepal has raised with India the issue of the killing of a Nepalese man in alleged firing by India's border-guarding force and demanded a probe into the incident, the Foreign Ministry here said.
Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement last night, "condemned" the killing of Nepali national Govinda Gautam due to "firing opened by the Indian security forces" at the Nepal-India border near Anandabazar in Kanchanpur district.
"The Government of Nepal has already taken up this matter with serious concern at higher diplomatic level of the Government of India with a demand to investigate the incident and bring the guilty to justice," the statement said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi has also telephoned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and raised the matter, media reports here said.
Nepal's government has also called for taking necessary steps to bring the situation under control so that no further untoward incident takes place in the said border area, the Foreign Ministry here said.
India has "categorically denied" that its border-guarding force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) killed the Nepali man at the Nepal-India border and said there is a need to maintain calm.

The Indian Embassy here said yesterday that there was no incident of firing by the SSB.

India, however, has sought from Nepal the post-mortem and forensic reports of the Nepali national.
Officials of two bordering districts of India and Nepal met after the incident and agreed to maintain peace and order, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in New Delhi.
Gautam, of Kanchanpur district, was killed in alleged firing from the Indian side at Nepal-India border following a dispute over building a culvert over the Sano Khola river in Kanchanpur district, Kantipur Television reported.