INDIAN TOURISTS MISBEHAVED WITH IN NEPAL

INDIAN TOURISTS MISBEHAVED WITH IN NEPAL

8-JULY-ENG 40

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------After the video of alleged misbehavior with Indian tourists by Nepal's Armed Police Force (APF) near Nepal's customs office near Bhitthamod of Sitamarhi on the Indo-Nepal border went viral, there has been a stir in the border area. In the video, it can be seen that the Nepali Police Force is questioning the Indian passengers in a sharp and insulting manner while pushing them about their vehicle documents and purpose of travel. This video is becoming increasingly viral on social media, which has created an atmosphere of fear and discomfort among the tourists going towards Janakpurdham. Local citizens and social organizations say that this attitude of Nepal's security agencies can hurt the old and deep socio-cultural relations between the two countries. The traditional 'Beti-Roti' relationship of India-Nepal can now be in danger due to such behavior.

Many tourists who returned from Nepal said that during their visit to Janakpurdham or other religious places, their vehicles were repeatedly stopped by Nepal Police and APF, their documents were checked and they were mentally harassed by unnecessary questions. Some tourists even said that they were treated as second class citizens by considering them to be foreign tourists.

After this incident, a huge decline is being seen in the number of tourists visiting Nepal at Bhitthamod border. Earlier, where hundreds of devotees used to visit Janakpurdham every day, now this number has come down to a few dozen. It has also started affecting business activities.

The worrying thing is that till now there has been no official response from Nepal in this matter. Neither the customs office nor the security agencies have said anything on this dispute, due to which the situation is becoming even more sensitive. Local public representatives and social workers have demanded from the Nepal government that this incident should be investigated impartially and action should be taken against the culprits. Also, to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future, the administrations of both the countries need to increase mutual coordination.