Nepal Foreign Affairs (KATHMANDU, 13 May 2020) – A 25-member squadron of the Armed Police Force (APF) and nine Nepal Police personnel reached Chhangru of Byas Gaunapalika-1 in Darchula district on Wednesday.
This is the first time that the members of the two security forces landed at Chhangru to man the border outpost (BoP) there. The Kalapani areas, which includes Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh, is disputed territory between Nepal and India. After India inaugurated the unilaterally constructed link road to Mansarobar via Lipulekh, Nepali territory, the border imbroglio once again surfaced with strong objection of Nepal.
Nepal had a plan to set up outposts in Kalapani areas but it was delayed due to the lack of resources. In Nepal’s history, this is the tangible move of the Nepal government to secure its borders establishing check posts. The security forces were taken there by MI-17 helicopter of Nepali Army from Khalanga of Darchula, the district headquarters.
The helicopter with high level security officers, including Home Minister’s security advisor Prof Dr Indrajeet Rai, and Additional Inspector General of APF Narayan Babu Thapa, departed for Darchula from Kathmandu, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) at the Armed Police Force Headquarters, Prabin Kumar Shrestha said.
From the district headquarters, Khalanaga, the helicopter first took 10 security forces to Chhangru and the rest in the second flight. The 25-member APF squad will be under the command of APF Inspector Mili Bahadur Chand.
The APF had been asked to establish BoP at Chhangru seven months ago in November last year, but could not do so in lack of land and logistics to establish the infrastructure there.
According to DIG Shrestha, the force taken there today will establish BoP in a rented house. In one BoP, normally 35 members are deployed but there the APF has sent only 25 troops.According to DIG Shrestha, earlier Nepal Police had stationed two units at Chhayalek of Tinkar and Sitapul of Chhangru before they were shifted to Dumling of Byas Rural Municipality, the lower belt than Chhangru. Every year during the cold season, Nepal Police and even the locals had to migrate to lower belt due to severe cold.
The Home Ministry, on Wednesday last week, had requested the NA to manage the helicopter after the APF was ordered to reach Chhangru.The government deployed APF after India unilaterally inaugurated a strategic road to Manasarovar of China via Lipulek, a Nepali territory. Lipulek is located near Kalapani, the far western frontier of Nepal with India.
The Indian government already have their two regiments of the Indian Army in Dharchula of India, two companies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Kalapani, three companies of Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB), and two other companies of the Indian Army.