Kathmandu: After the boundary row of last year, there was peace in bilateral ties between Nepal and India. There were high-level meetings and contacts between the two sides. But that seems to be fading away now.
The presence of Indian SSB in a recent incident in which a Nepali national fell into Mahakali while crossing the river using a cable and went missing, is likely to invite another round of a diplomatic row between Kathmandu and New Delhi.
Eyewitnesses and locals of Darchula district of Nepal said one Jay Singh Dhami of Darchula district fell into the Mahakali River in July end after the Indian SSB removed the cable.
Then Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs formed a five-member investigation team led by Joint Secretary Janardan Gautam on August 1 to probe the matter. The Gautam-led panel on Tuesday evening submitted its report to the Home Minister Bal Krishna Khad stating that "it appears the incident took place in the presence of Indian security personnel" and recommended that the government take diplomatic initiatives to bring the perpetrator(s) to book.
Instead of making the report public, the government on August 26 announced a compensation of Rs 1 million to Dhami's family, attracting more criticism, as many considered it as an attempt to quell growing demands that Deuba take a firm stand on the incident.
There were also concerns if the Deuba government was reluctant to make the report public so as not to antagonise India.
The probe panel submitted the report, exactly a month after the incident, but the government has not made the details public yet.
The panel, according to a statement issued by the Home Ministry, has recommended that the government make arrangements for the livelihood of Dhami's family and education of the children.
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