KATHMANDU: “I need to go get some goods; I’ll be back soon.”

Saying this, 45-year-old Bijay Sah of Koshi Rural Municipality–1, Lauki, left home around 10 PM on the night of December 31, riding his city safari vehicle, telling his wife Gita so.

But after that Wednesday night conversation, Bijay never returned home alive. He was shot dead just 200 meters south of his house.

He died around 1 AM Thursday after being shot by a team deployed from the Armed Police Force Border Out Post (BOP), Lauki. He was shot twice in the chest and was left soaked in blood.

What happened?

Bijay was returning to Nepal in his city safari after loading 6–7 sacks of sugar and some cartons of oil from a nearby Indian border market. Transporting such quantities of goods in the border area is not unusual. However, during this process, he encountered an APF team about 200 meters south of Lauki bazaar.

The city safari vehicle in which Bijay Sah had transported the goods.
Photo courtesy: Sonu Kumar Das

The APF team tried to seize the goods, which led to a dispute. According to the deceased’s nephew, Umesh Sah, the root of the dispute was a “financial transaction.”
“When the deal didn’t work out, my uncle was shot,” Umesh alleges. “This was not an encounter; it was a direct killing. He was unarmed and shot twice in the chest—what was the justification for firing at him?”

On the other hand, the APF Koshi Province chief DIG Kumar Naupane presents a different account, describing the incident as a “crossfire.” “When we tried to stop smuggled goods, firing came from the other side, and the police responded in self-defense,” claims Naupane.

However, although two spent bullet shells were found at the scene, Nepal Police have not yet found solid evidence confirming that a crossfire took place. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Chandra Bahadur Khadka, spokesperson for the Sunsari District Police Office, says the incident is under investigation.

Bijay is survived by his wife Gita, two sons, and a daughter. One of the sons is a person with disability. The family depended entirely on the income earned from Bijay driving his city safari morning and evening.

There has been mourning at Bijay’s house since early Thursday morning. Gita fainted upon hearing the news of her husband’s death by gunfire. Villagers are also enraged after a neighbor was killed so close to home.

Protest with the body on the road

After Bijay’s death, angry locals have not allowed the body to be taken away since Thursday morning. They are protesting by placing the body on the road in Koshi Rural Municipality–1.

After Bijay’s death, local residents are staging a protest by blocking the road in Koshi Rural Municipality–1, Lauki.
Photo courtesy: Sonu Kumar Das

“Locals are demanding strict action against the police personnel who fired the shots and compensation for the victim’s family,” says ward chairperson of Koshi Rural Municipality–1, Sobhit Narayan Yadav. “The situation here is tense. Whether it was necessary to shoot a poor citizen for bringing goods from across the border must be investigated impartially.”

He added that preparations are underway to hold talks with the administration.

Meanwhile, Assistant Chief District Officer Narendra Pariyar informed Nepal News that preparations are ongoing at the Sunsari District Administration Office for talks between the victim’s family, elected representatives, and the administration to resolve the dispute.
“The victim’s side has not arrived yet,” he said, “Once they arrive, we will begin discussions and reach a conclusion.”