On the evening of May 25, 2010, two plain-clothed officers from the Indian border security force, Shasastra Seema Bal (SSB), crossed the India-Nepal border on a motorcycle and reached Amahi Bariyati village in Morang.

SSB Inspector Hitendra Singh and Head Constable Madan Singh Soda were after a group of people from Amahi Bariyati, who had allegedly smuggled a consignment of cooking oil and other essentials into the village from the bordering Indian town. And as they were rounding up the suspects, the villagers began protesting the SSB’s bullish behaviour.  Soon, Soda and Bariyati found themselves encircled by a mob. Soda, then, drew out his firearm and open fired at the crowd.

The bullet hit 55-year-old Basudev Sah. He died on the way to hospital.

The two SSB men fled after shooting down Basudev, leaving behind the motorcycle (BR 38 B 0036).

“He was an innocent man,” said Basudev’s widow Urmiladevi. “There is no rule of law here. The SSB people come here and shoot dead an innocent man and the state does nothing about it.”

Basudev’s son Gautam Kumar claimed that his father was killed while trying to settle the dispute with the SSB officers.

The worse thing, he said, is that, in the wake of the incident, the government did not even offer a word of sympathy to his family.

“We registered complaints to the police, the local administration, the National Human Rights Commission, even the Indian Embassy, but none could offer us justice,” said Gautam Kumar.   

The Sah family has also not received any form of relief or compensation from the government till date, despite the Morang District Administration Office making recommendation to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Shresnarayan Paudel, the assistant chief district officer, said the office record showed that the ministry had already received the recommendation documents.

“The file was sent and received by the Home Ministry. I cannot say why the family was denied compensation,” said Paudel.