By IANS
Kathmandu : A skirmish between Indian border security forces and Nepalis led by the Maoists’ powerful youth wing worsened Saturday with the rebels torching at least one Indian vehicle in eastern Nepal and Indians retaliating by blocking the check post and forcing Nepali vehicles to go back.
The Maoists have also threatened to start an offensive against Indian joint ventures in Nepal if the concerned Indian security personnel were not punished.
Nepal Police said a truck bearing poultry feed coming from India was stopped in an area called Roadshesh in Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s hometown Biratnagar in eastern Morang district and set ablaze.
Unconfirmed reports said a mob also stopped a jeep carrying a wedding party in Birtamod in Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula’s home district Jhapa, forced the passengers to alight and set fire to the vehicle.
On Friday, Young Communist League (YCL) cadres had set another Indian vehicle on fire in Mechinagar.
As tales of the arson spread, angry Indian truckers blocked the check post at Biratnagar by parking their vehicles before it and forcing the traffic coming from Nepal to turn back.
The new violence came after India’s Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB), that has earned a bad name in Nepal for crossing over and roughing up villagers as well as extorting money from travellers, clashed with the YCL, the Maoist strong arm that has recently started an anti-encroachment campaign along the Indo-Nepal border.
In the past few months, there are growing allegations in this country about India encroaching across the border with Nepal’s parliament also taking up the issue.
The YCL has alleged that on Friday, the SSB barged into Nepal, abducted 35 cadres and marched them off.
They were released after being held captive for four hours, the YCL said.
The cadres were part of the team led by Maoist leader Dhruv Kumar Budathoki who had been sent to the area to assess the encroachment, the youth wing said.
The YCL has issued a warning, saying it would shut down all Indian ventures in Nepal if the abducted cadres’ belongings, including money and mobile phones, were not returned by the SSB.
The threat comes even as ITC’s tobacco factory was closed down last week by trade unionists loyal to the Maoists and Koirala’s Nepali Congress party while a second major Indian venture, Nepal Lever, had its factory padlocked by Maoist-supported local youths.