Government of Nepal has taken strong exception to Indian security forces crossing into the Nepali territory and firing ‘indiscriminately’ at Nepali citizens on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has sent a diplomatic note to the Embassy of India in Kathmandu on the incident that took place in Bhantabari, Sunsari, where according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Indian security forces fired ‘indiscriminately’ at Nepali citizens in the Nepali territory. “We have reports from the ground that Indian Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) men fired indiscriminately at Nepali citizens,” said Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, spokesperson for the home ministry. “The home ministry has forwarded a report of the preliminary findings to the foreign ministry to get a detailed investigation into the incident from the Indian side,” he added. According to Dhakal, the same report has been forwarded to the Embassy of India in Kathmandu as well, seeking investigation. Four Nepalis— Ashok Yadav, Naresh Yadav, Manoj Yadav and Saroj Yadav—were injured in the firing that took place near no-man’s-land by Indian SSB men on Wednesday morning.

The India Desk at MoFA through its diplomatic note to the Embassy of India in Kathmandu has sought assurances from the Indian side that such incidents will not be repeated in future.

According to the MoHA report, Indian security forces were inside the Nepali territory when they opened fire on the Nepali nationals.

Meanwhile, the Embassy of India, however, said that (Nepali media) reports of firing by the SSB were inaccurate.

The embassy has claimed that neither the firing took place in the Nepali territory nor any Nepali national was injured. “The incident took place inside the Indian territory and no Nepali citizen was injured,” said the Indian embassy in a statement.

However, MoHA spokesperson Dhakal said the Indian embassy statement distorted the fact.

“The local SSB in-charge also apologised for the incident with his Nepali counterpart,” said Dhakal.

The Sunsari District Administration Office has already sent a report to MoHA with the details that SSB men ‘indiscriminately’ opened fired on four Nepali nationals. The Sunsari DAO has also included testimonies of the eyewitnesses. MoHA has also instructed the local administration of Sunsari district to collect more evidence, including bullet shells.

Earlier on Wednesday, speaking at a meeting of the parliamentary State Affairs Committee, Minister for Home Affairs Shakti Basnet had said that the issue would be taken up with raised with the Indian side.

Did not happen in Nepal, says Indian embassy

The India Embassy in Kathmandu said on Wednesday that reports of firing by India’s Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) were inaccurate. “At 05:20 hours on 25 November 2015, a patrol team of SSB came across a few smugglers inside the Indian territory across the Sunsari district of Nepal. When challenged, the smugglers and their accomplices attacked the patrol team and injured one constable,” said the Indian embassy in a statement. “An SSB personnel [sic] fired in the air in self-defence, following which the smugglers dispersed. The incident took place inside the Indian territory and no Nepali citizen was injured.” (PR)