Nepal crisis: 2,000 Indians return via Panitanki border in last three days
Returnees breathed a sigh of relief, their faces reflecting the trauma of Nepal’s unrest, says SSB official
Amid the turmoil sweeping across Nepal, over 2,000 Indians have found their way back home through West Bengal’s Panitanki border in Siliguri over the past three days, carrying with them the shadows of unrest from a land they had journeyed to as labourers or tourists.
A senior Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) official said, “The Indians who returned home breathed a sigh of relief. The shadow of the terrible experience due to the unrest in Nepal was visible on their faces.”
Evacuation efforts continued on Thursday with special operations for Telugu citizens stranded in Nepal. A flight carrying 12 people took off from Simikot, while another group of 22 returned safely by road. Minister for real-time governance Nara Lokesh supervised the operation and announced that an IndiGo flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi would airlift over 200 people. So far, 133 individuals have been escorted to the airport under convoy protection.
A group of 22 people traveling via special bus from Hetauda reached India safely, entering Bihar before continuing to Delhi. Another flight from Simikot to Nepalganj transported 12 evacuees, coordinated by TDP MP Sana Satish. From Nepalganj, vehicles transported them to Lucknow, from where they were scheduled to fly to Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Nepal President Ram Chandra Poudel emphasised efforts to find a constitutional solution amid the political unrest following Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s ouster. He urged all parties to cooperate and maintain peace while ensuring the demands of the Gen-Z protesters are addressed.
The Nepal Army, responsible for maintaining law and order, imposed a curfew in the Kathmandu Valley until Friday morning. Gen-Z leaders, who spearheaded protests against Oli’s government, are in negotiations with the army regarding the country’s political future, demanding the preservation of democracy and prevention of any army rule. President Poudel, as ceremonial commander-in-chief of the Nepal Army, is overseeing these discussions.
Former chief justice Sushila Karki remains the frontrunner to lead the next interim government, with support from Kathmandu City mayor Balen Shah.
With IANS inputs