Ethnic Madhesi protesters stand near smoke from a tire set on fire by them, as Nepalese policemen stand guard near the Central Development Office at Birgunj, a town on the border with India and Nepal on Monday, November 2, 2015. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today strongly took up with his Nepal counterpart KP Oli the killing of an Indian citizen at a border checkpoint when the Nepalese police fired on protesters to clear a blockade that has choked the country's fuel supplies and damaged ties.
Here are 10 developments in the story:
The man who died was believed to be from Raxaul in Bihar; he was caught in police firing in Nepal's Birgunj town, around 90 km from Kathmandu. His body is expected to reach Raxaul later today.
New Delhi said it was deeply concerned about the violence in which an "innocent Indian" was killed. "Issues facing Nepal are political in nature and cannot be resolved by force. Causes underlying the present state of confrontation need to addressed by Nepal credibly and effectively," said foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
The Nepal police allegedly fired dozens of bullets and teargas to push back protesters whose blockade has cut off vital supplies and forced the landlocked Himalayan nation to ration fuel.
At around 3 am this morning, about 100 policemen chased out protesters sitting on a key bridge crossing since September 25 to protest against Nepal's new Constitution.
The protesters are from Nepal's Madhesi ethnic minority, who say the internal borders laid out under a federal system in the new Constitution will leave them politically marginalised.
More than 40 people have been killed in clashes since the Constitution was introduced in September after a deadly earthquake pushed warring political parties to reach an agreement.
The fuel crisis has soured ties between Nepal and India, with authorities in Kathmandu accusing New Delhi of imposing an "unofficial blockade" to show its dissatisfaction with the new Constitution.
New Delhi denies the charge and has urged dialogue with the protesting Madhesis, who have close cultural, linguistic and family ties to Indians living across the border.
After weeks of blaming India, Nepal recently signed a deal with China to import petroleum products.
Nepal received 73.5 metric tonnes of petrol from China for the first time today; 12 trucks carrying petrol from China today entered Nepal.
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