Rautahat, June 13 Indian nationals, who took control of the body of the youth killed in Armed Police Force’s firing at Dasgaja area, staged a protest last night in Sarlahi. Bikesh Kumar, 27, was killed when APF personnel deployed for border security opened fire in self-defence at Narayanpur of Parsa Rural Municipality after some Indians tried to snatch their weapons. The situation took an ugly turn after APF personnel tried to stop the Indians from entering Nepal. READ: Sarlahi Clash: One Indian national dead, two hurt as APF personnel fire in self-defence Two others were injured in the incident. Indians had kept the body in Dasgaja area and staged a demonstration since last evening with the backing of India’s Sasatra Seema Bal. Throughout the night, they had pressed the APF personnel to free an Indian citizen kept in its custody. APF personnel appeared weak under India’s pressure. The Nepali side had handed over Nawal Kishor Ray, 40, to the protesters at 3:15am. After Ray’s handover, protesters took the body and cleared Dasgaja area. Sarlahi CDO Mohan Bahadur GC said APF personnel had opened fire in self-defence after Indian nationals indiscriminately attacked them with bricks and stones. Three persons were injured in the incident. Of them, one had died. They had kept the body of the youth in Dasgaja area within the circle of India’s SSB forces, staged a rally and pressed the Nepali side to release the man in APF’s custody. CDO GC said Nawal Kishor was handed over to the Indian side after he and his Indian counterpart reached an agreement on a number of issues. “With the handing over of the body, tension has been defused and reinforcement has been deployed for security on the border, said CDO GC. The incident unfolded following a dispute between a group of Indian nationals trying to enter Nepal and APF personnel. Selling of liquor and liquor-related items has been banned in India’s Bihar. Nepal has pubs on its side in the border area and a majority of their customers come from across the border. Despite the enforcement of lockdown in both the countries, Indians have been coming to Nepal for liquor and some traders have been smuggling goods to Nepal amid the lockdown. Four so-called Dalit people from India had been returning home after consuming alcohol in Nepal. On the way home, they had made noise. When APF personnel asked them to leave the Nepali side, they defied the order. One of them went to India’s nearby village and returned with hundreds of people framing the story that APF personnel had thrashed them. Indian nationals attacked APF personnel with bricks and stones and tried to snatch their weapons. As a result, APF personnel were forced to open fire in self-defence. Frequent violent clashes have created panic among locals living on either side of the border. A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 14, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.