Nepal has formally drawn the attention of India towards the death of a Nepali man in alleged firing by India’s Seema Sashastra Bal (SSB) in Punarbas Municipality-8 of Kanchanpur District on Thursday.

Nepali Ambassador to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, took up the matter with officials of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and expressed his protest over the firing by SSB on local at Nepal-India border on Thursday. 

Thirty-two-year-old Gobinda Gautam, from Ananda Bazaar of Punarbas Municipality-8 in Kanchanpur district, died when India’s SSB allegedly opened fire on locals at border on Thursday.

Envoy Upadhyay met Sudhakar Dalela, chief of Nepal-India Desk at MEA, and expressed his concerns about the incident. "I urged for a prompt investigation into the issue and take necessary actions," Upadhaya said after the meeting. 

 Upadhaya also objected the statement issued by Indian Embassy in Kathmandu on Thursday which categorically denied firing by SSB.  "India should not have made such statement considering the sensitivity of the matter and friendly relations between the two countries," Upadhaya told the Indian officials.  The Indian side informed that they have begun the investigation into the incident and they expect support from Nepal on the same.

Earlier on Thursday, the Embassy of India in Kathmandu had categorically denied any firing attack by SSB at Ananda Bazaar, Kanchanpur.

In a statement on Friday, MEA said the government of Nepal has been requested through diplomatic channels to share the post-mortem and forensic reports of the incident that took place at Nepal-India border on Thursday and to facilitate the process.

Tension was running high along the border since Thursday morning over the construction of a culvert on the Nepali side by locals. A row over culvert construction had continued since long, as the area where the structure was being built is said to be disputed with the Indian side claiming it not to be on Nepali territory.