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India asks Nepal to protect Indians

Nepalese Charge D'Affaires Dr M K Bhattarai was summoned to the External Affairs Ministry and handed over a note for his government by Joint Secretary (north) Meera Shankar, expressing deep concern over the safety and security of Indians.

The Nepalese government was also asked to take all necessary measures to protect the lives and properties of Indians, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

He said Bhattarai asserted that his government was taking all necessary precautions. He described the situation as ''tense but under control''.

On whether Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence was behind the incidents the spokesman said, ''It is difficult to make a judgement. We can at the moment say that it is orchestrated by elements inimical to the further development of Indo-Nepalese relations and to create distrust between the two countries.''

The spokesman said the Nepalese government had also been told that they should look into the genesis of the problem and take precautions to stop their recurrence.

Describing the incident as ''entirely fabricated'', he said it had no foundation and had even been firmly denied by the actor himself.''

''It is a clear case of disinformation spread by vested interests. The events were orchestrated and not spontaneous.''

The spokesman said Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh had also spoken to his Nepalese counterpart Narayan Shamasher Thapa on Wednesday night and expressed grave concern over the developments. He had also urged the Nepalese government to take adequate measures for the safety and security of Indians.

The Nepalese foreign secretary had assured Mansingh that his government was taking all measures and the Indian embassy in Nepal was in constant touch with the Nepalese government.

A list of sensitive areas had also been given to the police for strengthening security arrangements, Bhattarai told the foreign secretary.

The spokesman said the Nepalese media had quoted the country's Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paudel, who is also the internal security minister, as having told the House of Representative State Affairs Committee that the Nepalese government had constituted a high-level committee to investigate the violence and direct the government to take immediate and effective steps to stop the violence.

On whether the developments reflected the ''fragile'' nature of Indo-Nepalese relations, the spokesman said co-operation between India and Nepal was on a very wide range of issues. The two countries shared a traditionally close relationship and there were some special element attached to these.

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has already denied any statements against Nepal attributed to Hritik Roshan in a television interview.

In a press statement expressing distress over the violence and loss of lives, the embassy said Wednesday that it was concerned about 'baseless rumours' being spread by elements ''inimical to the warm and cordial India-Nepal relations and age-old ties between the people of the two countries''. It had also received protest letters and seen reports appearing in Kathmandu-based newspapers.

The Indian embassy in Nepal has sought the co-operation of the print and visual media to remove any misunderstandings. According to reports from Kathmandu, several students were injured as violent student protests resumed.

The protests began on Sunday and on Wednesday four people were confirmed killed in the capital in police firing on protesting students, according to reports from Nepal.

The embassy said the text of the interview given by the star to former actress and TV presenter Simi Garewal on the STAR Plus channel on December 14 was available on the web sites indiafm.com and hrithikroshan.com/articles/simigare2.htm.

The actor and STAR TV have already issued denials that any disparaging remarks were uttered against Nepal by Hrithik in the interview. Hrithik said he loved Nepal and had tremendous respect for its people. He said he had never given such an interview and this was a figment of imagination of some vested interests.

In an interview to STAR News channel, Hrithik said he was baffled by the whole controversy. He said he had given the Simi Garewal interview along with his parents and had recorded it in full.

UNI

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