A storied history

Susta was one of the village Panchayats of Nawalparasi district before it was merged into Tribeni VDC in 2034 BS (1977). When Nepal signed the Sugauli Treaty on March 4, 1816, it is said that the Narayani River was flowing north-south from Tribeni Ghat of Nawalparasi. Subsequent floods changed the course of the river and started eroding the Nepali side, compelling many Nepalis to find a new settlement. The river has changed its course by cutting thousands of hectares of Nepali land in 1902 BS (1845); in 2011 BS (1954), in 2019 BS (1962) and finally in 2037 BS (1980). Along with this, settlers of the Panchayat-era were displaced. Many with valid documents such as citizenship and land ownership certificates were rehabilitated in different areas of Tribeni Panchayat and Susta was merged into Tribeni VDC.

Eventually, the whole Susta Village Panchayat of Nawalparasi district drifted towards the other side of the river, turning into the banks of the river on the Indian side. Those who had no documentary evidence and who had left their land due to a lack of citizenship went back to Susta and resumed farming in the leftover land. Also, those who were living in the bordering areas of both Nepal and India and were in search of fertile land also joined the flood victims to occupy the empty land. They started gathering support by inviting their relatives and friends. Since Susta is very fertile, it was able to easily attract people.

Once it became a small village consisting of a majority of people of Nepali origin, the Nepali state tried to take ownership of this territory by putting the area under Ward No 4 of Tribeni VDC of Nawalparasi district. In fact, the Narayani River now divides the ward such that half of the territory is on the other side of the river Bankatia. One can see a chunk of unused land in Susta village, facing the Gandak barrage to the north. Documents state that both Nepali and Indian governments decided to maintain the status quo in the land since 1960s as no one knows the actual size of the disputed land since no measurement was made after the river left it behind. While addressing the Indian Parliament on December 11, 1968, then Deputy Minister at the Ministry of External Affairs Surendra Pal Singh referred to the Nepali Ambassador to India and mentioned 2,000 bighas as disputed land.  

The controversy today

The Susta we talk about today is situated towards the south-eastern part of Tribeni beyond the Narayani River with some 265 households and 3,133 people. The Nepal government’s existence is seen in the village as there is a health post with three staff, a primary school with seven teachers, a police post under the command of a sub-inspector and a border outpost of the Armed Police Force under the command of an inspector. Till recently, there were 337 houses but some 112 had to leave the village and migrate to India with the beginning of the ‘Save Susta’ movement. According to Gopal Gurung, Chairperson of the Save Susta Movement, people who worked as ‘informers’ for Indian agencies against the movement were chased away from the village. Some of them still have their land in Susta even if they have shifted their homes to the Indian side of the border. There are still some 70 Indian families residing in Susta, but not as citizens with land but as tenants or non-citizens. It is said that most are ‘anagarik’ who till others’ land and shear crops for survival.     

Our research team visited Susta to closely study the disputed area. Like other disputed parts of the Nepal-India border, nature seems to have played a big role in the Susta border controversy. We discovered that the land being used by people residing in Susta has no ownership or registration certificate. Locals, including Gopal Gurung, state that the land they are using today was a grazing field before the flood washed away the Susta village. Roshan Jha, in a newspaper column, has stated, “In the name of resolving disputes, the land which was under the ownership of Madhesi people were distributed to ex-army families in 2022 BS (1965) by the then Nepali government. That is why no one has ownership certificates for these lands”.

Vested interests

While discussing the land with locals, we learned that the problem has arisen due to the fertile nature of the land. “It is very fertile land; a farmer gets at least Rs 100,000 a year if he/she cultivates sugarcane in one hectare of land. That is why there is a tough fight among locals to occupy unused land. Even if it is a fight among locals to occupy more land in order to earn more, the issue is carried by the media, dragging it into controversy. If somebody ploughs one kattha of land, others claim that there was encroachment of 10 hectares,” one Armed Police

officers stated.

It seems that both Nepali and Indian governments have became hostages to Susta locals. But it is also true that the two governments’ decision to keep the fertile land under the status quo for years itself provided grounds for local to damage Nepal-India relations. The governments must recognise that some Susta locals have a criminal history and even double citizenship. Some pretending to be leaders of the Save Susta movement allegedly have criminal records whereas others, including Gurung, are recent settlers in Susta. Similarly, there are people who live outside Susta but hold hundreds of hectares of land in Susta, earn a good amount of money by using the controversial land freely without paying any taxes, including land tax, and raise nationalists’ hackles by taking one side in the debate. Why they are allowed to get political mileage by raising ‘nationalist’ voices as if they are fighting to save the soil of their motherland? Both countries should realise that a way out can be found only by sitting together with an aim to end the Susta impasse.   

Pyakurel was one of the team members of a research, ‘Nepal-India Open Border: Problem and Prospects’, released two weeks ago in Kathmandu