Is the APF the liquor mafia on the Indo-Nepal border?

Sagar Suraj

MOTIHARI: Tensions are high at the India-Nepal border in Bihar’s East Champaran district after two constables of the 20th battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) were attacked by liquor smugglers on October 2.

The officers, Arun Kumar Singh and Santosh Pandurang, were mercilessly beaten up when both dared to intercept smugglers while entering Indian territory with a large quantity of Nepalese wine bottles.

The sale and consumption of liquor are banned in Bihar, which has led to an increase in smuggling from Nepal. The situation took a dramatic turn when a large group of Nepalis joined the smugglers, beat up the officers and tried to drag one of them to the Nepal side.

Local villagers claim they rescued the officers, but also claim that the Nepal Armed Police (APF) supported the smugglers. However, Indian authorities have not confirmed any involvement of APF personnel in the incident.

Few months ago, APF opened fire near Kharsalawa under Jharokhar police station in East Champaran district after locals raised voice over the beating of two Indians on no man’s land by APF men.

Nepal Armed Police had gunned down a woman identified as Seema Devi and her husband Ravindra Prasad, residents of Kharsalwa village under Jharokhar in Ghodasahan block of East Champaran. Both had gone to Nepalese territory to collect fodder.

The locals on a whim grabbed hold of an APF jawan who had come to the Indian side to purchase some essential commodities, worrying the authorities of both countries.

This incident is not an isolated incident; there have been previous clashes between Indian and Nepalese forces. In 2020, one Indian was killed and four others injured in a firing incident at the Lalbandi-Janki Nagar border in Sitamarhi district. More recently, an SSB jawan was crushed to death by the liquor mafia in Madhubani district.

Regular Border Coordination Committee meetings between Indian and Nepali officials appear to have done little to defuse tensions. The APF’s alleged involvement in protecting smugglers has raised concerns about the effectiveness of these meetings.

Indian authorities, on the instructions of East Champaran Superintendent of Police (SP) Swarn Prabaht, have filed an FIR against more than a dozen smugglers, including liquor mafia Omprakash and Amarjeet. However, the question remains: how will these non-nationals be apprehended without the cooperation of Nepalese authorities?