On Wednesday, Nepalkhabar broke a story, claiming that Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s chief adviser, Kumar Byanjankar (Ben), secretly visited New Delhi during the first week of July.

According to the report, he held talks with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, as well as other senior officials at India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

The report drew widespread attention, as the Post had also been tracking rumours that Ben had quietly visited India during the first week of July. However, Ben consistently denied, insisting that he had neither travelled to India nor held meetings with senior Indian government officials.

On July 13, the Post again contacted Ben after receiving additional tips that he may have visited India. He categorically denied it. In the following week, Ben’s reported trip became the subject of intense scrutiny and widespread concern, particularly among the foreign affairs community.

There has been considerable interest in the destination of Prime Minister Shah’s first official foreign visit. Traditionally, Nepali prime ministers have chosen India for their first bilateral visit after assuming office. However, even after completing 100 days in office, Prime Minister Shah has shown no indication of undertaking a foreign trip.

Questions have emerged over why Ben allegedly travelled to India in secret and what prompted him to hold meetings with senior Indian officials, including National Security Adviser Doval. The reported visit has fueled speculation about the purpose of the discussions and whether they were connected to the government’s foreign policy or broader bilateral engagement.

The Post has spoken with half a dozen individuals, including Ben himself, senior foreign ministry officials, officials at Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, some Indian journalists who have access to Doval’s office, officials at the Prime Minister Office and leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, among others.

In multiple conversations with the Post, Ben refused to acknowledge the news and claimed that he has not travelled India and there was no reason for travel.

However, according to multiple Foreign Ministry sources, Ben visited New Delhi and returned quietly without any information to Rastriya Swatantra Party chair Rabi Lamichhane and Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal.

In an apparent effort to maintain secrecy, Ben, accompanied by Roshan Khadka, owner of the news website KathmanduPati, first flew to Simara before travelling by road to Delhi via Raxaul.

According to flight details reviewed by the Post, the duo took Buddha Air flight 551 to Simara on July 3, departing at 7:35am. Simara is the nearest airport to the Raxaul border crossing.

“The Indian side managed their travel to Delhi by road,” said one diplomatic source.

While Ben acknowledged travelling to Simara, he denied crossing the border into India, insisting that he only visited Hetauda and Chitwan. When asked why he did not fly directly from Chitwan back to Kathmandu, Ben said the improved road conditions made traveling by road a more convenient option.

“Our minister has improved the road between Simara and Chitwan, making the journey faster,” he told Kantipur.

According to news website NepalKhabar, Ben met with Doval to discuss Nepal-India relations, priorities of Nepal, and possible India visit of Prime Minister Shah, among other things. However, a diplomatic source told the Post that Ben did not meet Doval but met with senior officials at India’s Ministry of External Affairs and some senior intelligence officials.

Foreign Minister Khanal also wanted to dig out more about the meetings in New Delhi. “He, however, could not ascertain whom Ben actually met,” a senior official at the ministry told the Post.

Shah had been maintaining the diplomatic code of conduct, requiring the presence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ representatives in meetings between foreign diplomats and Nepali officials. However, no official from the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi was present during Ben’s alleged meetings.

Sources say Prime Minister Shah started consultations with various sectors after the return of his advisor back home. He is now planning to meet with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors soon. “If they’d asked us, we’d have recommended not to take the trip,” said a high-level official at the Foreign Ministry, signalling that the meeting took place without the knowledge of the ministry.