India orders probe as Nepal briefly detains 13 SSB men

Shaurya Karanbir Gurung

Tribune News Service

Kathmandu/New Delhi, Nov 29

Thirteen Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel, a few of them armed, were briefly detained by Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) after they crossed over into the neighbouring country while chasing some petroleum smugglers around 7 am today.

The APF released the personnel later in the afternoon and also returned their arms. The SSB, which guards the India-Nepal border, has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident. 

Sources said the personnel, comprising a sub-inspector and 12 constables, were patrolling on the Indian side of the border with Nepal’s Jhapa district when they learnt of smuggling on the border between Kishanganj district in Bihar and Jhapa. 

SSB Director General BD Sharma said two of the constables first chased down five smugglers, but in the process they inadvertently entered Nepalese territory since there was no border-marking. The two were detained by the APF. The remaining patrol team later crossed the border to rescue those detained.

Nepal, however, claimed the personnel entered 100 metres into its territory and fired at the unarmed Nepalese nationals while chasing a group of smugglers. However, the Indian embassy in Nepal said the border guards were chasing smugglers and fired at them in self-defence in the Indian territory.

Sharma admitted that the men should not have crossed over into Nepal armed, but called it an accident.

“We have ordered an inquiry, which will ascertain what happened, how it happened and who is at fault. We will take corrective measures to ensure such incidents do not recur. Though none of them have been suspended as yet, action will be taken on the basis of the inquiry report,” he said. 

Sharma said six of them were armed and the other five were unarmed. 

“They should not have gone without informing their seniors,” he said. Jhapa’s Assistant Chief District Officer Dambaru Prasad Niraula said the men were handed over to the Indian side after investigations. "They (SSB jawans) were quizzed on the reason for entering Nepal," Nepal's My Republica news portal quoted Nirauala as saying. (With PTI inputs)