Source::
Two hundred Nepalis returning home from various places in India have been stranded at Jhulaghat of India. They have been stuck at this border town of India adjoining Baitadi for the last three days following the lockdown enforced in Nepal and India.
Gajendra Bhatta of Gurukhola, Dasharathchand Municipality-1, in Baitadi district, said they have been stranded at Jhulaghat since the last three days. He lamented that the Indian police chase them and beat them whenever they see them due to the lockdown.
Some of the stranded Nepalis are hiding in the jungle close to the bank of the Mahakali River for fear of the Indian police. They have been sleeping in the open without food for three days as hotels are also closed due to the lockdown.
Chief District Officer of Baitadi, Ananda Poudel, however, said initiatives have been made to rescue the Nepalis stranded at Jhulaghat. He said the District Magistrate of Pithoragadh District, India has been urged since the last two days to open the border transit.
He said both countries have to agree to open the border to allow the movements of stranded people, as both countries have enforced a lockdown. The efforts by a single country would not be sufficient to open the border transit point. Meanwhile, some stranded people were found crossing the border into Nepal in precarious ways. They are using tires to float and swim across the Mahakali River.
