Four Nepalese nationals today sustained injuries after being allegedly shot by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel in southern Nepal near the border with India.
According to officials here, the men - residents of the border area in Sunsari district - were shot by the SSB on charges of smuggling chemical fetilizers from India this morning.
However, the injured said they were burning wood in the border village to keep themselves warm, when the firing occurred.
The incident site lies 100 metres into the Nepalese side of the border and the SSB personnel had entered the Nepalese territory chasing some smugglers, they said.
The SSB personnel suddenly opened fire on them when they were huddling around a fire to warm themselves in their locality, according to state-run Nepal Television.
A 30-year-old victim, who received bullet injuries in his right leg, said the SSB shot at them even as they expressed ignorance regarding the whereabouts of people smuggling chemical fertilizers from India.
All the four injured sustained bullet injuries and are undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Shakti Basnet has informed the Parliament's State Affairs Committee regarding the firing, local media said, adding that the ministry would write to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu regarding the incident.
(Reopens FGN19)
Home Ministry spokesperson Laxmi Prasad Dhakal confirmed that the SSB had shot four Nepalese residing in Sunsari district near Nepal-India border.
The condition of two persons, who sustained bullet injuries in their stomach and chest is serious, he said.
