But the government has neither paid her compensate nor shown courage to initiate investigation about the cross-border transgression.[break]
SSB Inspector Hitendra Singh had followed Harish Chandra Mandal of Amahibariyati-7, who had bought a tin of edible oil from the bordering Indian town of Kuwadi, for not giving money at the check post on May 25. The inspector, who had chased Mandal on a motorbike (BR 38 B 0036) along with constable Madan Singh Sodar in civil, had then started to mercilessly thrash Mandal.
When head constable of the local police post Shambhu Chaudhary reached the spot and tried to intervene to protect a Nepali in the Nepali territory, the irate inspector had opened fire aiming at the head constable. The bullet hit Basudev, 55, in the chest and killed him leaving behind three sons and four daughters.
"We had lodged complaint with the chief district officer (CDO) the very next day but there has been no progress yet," Urmila Devi said. The villagers, who were witness to the gruesome murder that evening, still hesitate to go across the border.
"We would have been relieved if the inspector were punished even if we don´t receive compensation," the victim´s eldest son Kishore Kumar said. The impoverished family, that depends on daily wages to make ends meet, is petrified by the government´s apathy while the inspector has since been promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
"Our father lost his life for no reason," daughter Laxmi Devi said. "We were assured of compensation of two million but have not got a penny in five months," she added.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) at the sector headquarters of SSB in Poornia, who had come to meet Superintendent of Police (SP) in Morang Deepak Thapa after the incident had claimed that the Indian officer had opened fire in self defense after being assaulted by Nepali ´smugglers´.
CDO of Morang Suresh Adhikari said the government should take initiative as compensation to the family and action against the inspector cannot happen in lack of Indian cooperation. The Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction on the request of the Home Ministry had requested the Indian Embassy to provide compensation but there has been no progress. "We have inquired with the Home Ministry on dozens of occasions but to no avail," CDO Adhikari said. "The issue is now with the Indian Embassy," CDO Adhikari said.
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