Kathmandu, June 16- The Indian side has shut down the Mahakali River Bridge along the Nepal-India border, disrupting daily movement between Nepal’s Darchula district headquarters and India’s Dharchula.

According to Darchula Chief District Officer Anil Poudel, the closure was prompted by public pressure in response to a recent murder case in Dharchula, India. “There has been a murder in Dharchula, and there are unconfirmed reports that two individuals involved may have fled to Nepal,” Poudel said. “We are actively searching for them on our side, but have not yet located them.”

Poudel clarified that the bridge was not closed by Indian authorities, but rather by Indian citizens aiming to pressure their own government to act on the case. “Indian officials informed us that locals are behind the blockade, not the government itself,” he added.

Talks are currently underway with the District Magistrate (DM) of Dharchula, India, in an effort to reopen the bridge.

Protests began around 11 a.m. on Sunday, and the Mahakali Bridge has remained mostly closed since then. Although it briefly reopened for a few minutes in the afternoon, it was soon shut down again.

The incident stems from the June 7 murder of Kamlesh Danu, a resident of Dharchula, India, who was fatally stabbed. In response, a delegation led by Anuwal community president Guman Singh Bista submitted a memorandum to Pithoragarh Sub-Divisional Officer Manjit Singh on Saturday, demanding justice and decisive action. They also announced a general shutdown of Dharchula and the Nepal-India border crossing.

People’s Review News Monitoring Service