Indian killed as Nepal police fire at protesters

An Indian national has been killed after the Nepalese riot police fired into a crowd of angry demonstrators attempting to block a major trading checkpoint between India and Nepal.

Nepal police spokesman Kamal Singh Bam said on Monday that the causality was caused after police tried to disperse protesters, from the Madhesi community, who were trying to block a checkpoint in Birgunj town, which is located 90 kilometers south of the capital, Kathmandu. 

"Police warned the protesters to disperse but they did not listen, compelling security forces to open fire. An Indian national was wounded and died after being taken to hospital," Bam said.

The checkpoint serves as the key hub for oil and food imports into the landlocked Himalayan nation. 

This comes as a large crowd of angry Nepalese demonstrators protesting against a recently passed national constitution have been blocking a major bridge crossing between the two countries since September 24. The protests have resulted in cutting off vital supplies and forcing nationwide fuel rationing.

Meanwhile, Shiva Patel, the secretary general of the regional Sadbhawana party, involved in the blockade, said on Monday that the police also burned down tents and baton-charged scores of demonstrators near the key border checkpoint to force them to end the blockade.

"Police beat up demonstrators this morning and burned down our tents, forcibly opening the border to allow trucks to move across," AFP news agency quoted Patel as saying, adding, "The government called our leaders for talks in Kathmandu, but this police action shows that they are two-faced and not committed to dialogue."

This comes weeks after Nepal’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a new constitution that had been delayed for years due to differences between political factions. The new charter came into force on September 20.

A series of protests have continued to rock parts of the country, signaling that the new charter is not likely to allay the concerns of the country’s many marginalized groups. Violent protests have claimed the lives of over 40 demonstrators over the past weeks. 

The new national constitution aims to restructure Nepal as a federal state made up of seven provinces, and to draw a line under a decade-long civil war that ended in 2006. 

The members of marginalized groups demand their own separate province. The groups include the Madhesi and Tharu ethnic minorities who mainly inhabit the country's southern plains.

Some Nepalese authorities have accused neighboring India of deliberately blocking vital supplies into the landlocked Himalayan country.

The Indian government has expressed concern over the ongoing situation. Senior authorities in New Delhi, who have criticized Kathmandu's handling of the constitution, and have denied being behind the blockade.

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