A few SSB men in civil uniform were digging the place to remove pillar number 752 on Thursday. Later, Armed Police Force (APF) men from the Nepali side reached the site and filled the two-foot deep pit. Locals said the SSB´s intention was to take away the pillar to destroy the border evidence.
The security personnel of the Indian paramilitary force did so despite that there is a provision that both the sides need to be informed even for maintenance and renovation of border pillars.
According to locals, hundreds of bighas of land has been encroached by Indian side in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts alone. "The Indians first take away the pillars before they encroach the Nepali territory," said a local.
UCPN (Maoist) had recently published a report that said 1,405 bighas of land was encroached upon and 38 pillars were removed by Indians from the border.
In a press meet, ´Akhanda´, Maoist in-charge of Kailali district, said Indians have encroached Nepali territory at Bhajani, Lalbojhi and Bisanpur, among other places, in the district.
Maoists said 13 of the 68 Jange (big) pillars and 25 of the 138 small pillars have been disappeared from the border in the district.
"Many pillars have been disappeared from the places. It has created problems. We (Nepal and India) have decided to recommend their respective governments to find base points and to reinstate the pillars at the original places," said Chief District Officer of Kailali Hari Krishna Poudel, adding, "This is an achievement for us." He said the decision was taken during a bilateral meeting at the district level.
As per the bilateral agreement, the Nepali side will reinstate the pillars with odd numbers while the Indians will reinstate the pillars with even numbers at the original places.
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