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Journalism of Courage
Anand Kumar Shah, a 58-year-old civil court advocate from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, was taking in the serene hillside views of Pokhara in Nepal earlier this week when his tour guide received a worrying phone call.
“Our guide said we couldn’t go downhill. There was violence and vandalism going on everywhere,” he recalled.
Shah, along with his wife Sunita Devi (55) and their neighbour Harishchand Rai (63), had gone on a trip to Nepal by taking a bus from Raxaul — the border town in Bihar’s East Champaran district. They first visited the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu on September 6, before heading to Pokhara. Towards the end of their trip, on September 8, they hired a local guide to take them to the sightseeing spots around Pokhara.
The culmination of their serene vacation, however, coincided with major unrest in Nepal. A youth-led protest movement, initially a peaceful demonstration against the ban on multiple social media platforms, escalated violently following a severe crackdown by security forces.
“When we had reached Kathmandu, there were protests going on, but we never thought in our dreams that it would turn into something violent and that we would get caught in all that,” Rai said.
What began in Kathmandu quickly spread to Pokhara and other regions.
“Our guide was constantly in touch with people downhill through his phone. He advised us to wait on the hilltop until sunset,” Shah adds.
Into the chaos
As dusk approached, the group began descending. “Once we got down, we saw trucks full of young people on the streets, and thousands more rallying behind on two-wheelers, riding in pairs,” Devi recalled.
Concerned about their safety, the group abandoned their vehicle roughly three kilometres from the hotel to which they were headed and decided to continue on foot through the backstreets. “Our guide led us through side roads. We did run into some protesters, but they let us pass. They were angry with their own government,” Devi said.
Shah further described the terrifying scenes they witnessed: “We saw buildings burning, vehicles set ablaze. It felt like a war zone.”
“Seeing such massive unrest, we weren’t sure if we’d make it,” Shah said, adding, “We were very scared, but somehow made it back to the hotel.”
“We couldn’t eat because of the fear. Sleep was out of the question. We were awake the whole night. Stones were hitting the hotel, we could hear cylinder blasts, and the air was filled with slogans and noise,” Rai remembered, goosebumps visible below his rolled up sleeves.
Getting back home
They stayed put for a day as the unrest escalated around them, and then decided to find a way back home.
“We took a small car to Bharatpur, then a bus to Pathlaiya, followed by an auto to Jaitapur, and finally an e-rickshaw just kilometres before the border,” Shah said, adding that the Nepal Army tried to help wherever they could.
“While we were at the Bharatpur bus stand, Army personnel would check in periodically, asking if we needed assistance. Along the route, too, they helped ensure we could get out and return to India safely,” he said.
When they finally reached the Indian side of the Maitri Bridge in Raxaul on Thursday morning, with bags in their hands, the three vacationers looked tired but managed a smile. “There is a major feeling of relief after reaching here,” Shah said.
On Thursday, the border police in both India and Nepal began allowing citizens stranded on the border to cross into their home country. A day earlier, all cross-border travel had been halted, except in cases of emergency. On Tuesday, only pedestrians were allowed to cross the border, provided they had valid identity documents.
Many stranded Indian vehicles returned with the weary tourists on Thursday.
‘We’re now in India, right?’
An elderly couple sat on the pavement near a tree outside the Customs office in Raxaul. They had been helped across the Maitri Bridge by their grandchildren, two young women and a young man. They were from Madhya Pradesh, but did not want to disclose their names.
“We’re in India now, right?” the grandfather asked another man sitting next to him. The man nodded, “Yes, you’re in Bihar.”
“We were supposed to catch our return flight from Kathmandu to Delhi today, but here we are, sitting here,” the grandfather replied.
The family had flown from Delhi to Kathmandu on September 6 with plans to explore Nepal. But when they reached Chitwan, they learned about the violence unfolding in the country. “We didn’t see anything directly, but we watched everything on our phones — Parliament, ministers’ homes, and other buildings burning. We were safe, but stuck in our hotel,” the grandmother explained.
Her husband added, “We spent almost Rs 70,000 in those few days, but barely saw anything due to the curfews and protests. We were supposed to catch our flight from Kathmandu today and return home, but we couldn’t make it back to Kathmandu. Eventually, we somehow managed to book a cab and got here.”
Meanwhile, their grandchildren stood nearby, keeping an eye on their heavy trolley bags, and discussing their next move.
“There’s no direct train home or to Delhi from here, and no direct train to Patna today,” one of the young women said. “But there’s a flight from Patna to Delhi tonight at 11 pm.”
“How long will it take to reach Patna from here?” her sister asked. “Google says about five hours,” the first woman replied. “That’s doable,” their brother said, checking the time. “We should be there by 5-5.30 pm. Even if we’re late, we’ll still have time. Let me make the arrangements. You book the flight tickets.” He then walked off towards a group of cars parked a little distance away.
Going the other way
Meanwhile, a queue started to snake up at the Indian checkpoint for those looking to go back to Nepal.
“It has been two days and you still won’t let us pass. We don’t even have potatoes or onions left at home to eat,” one man in the queue grumbled.
“Where are you coming from? Why are you here? Where are you going? Show your ID,” one of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel called out, repeating the questions before clearing each individual to cross the border.
Nearby, an elderly man sat with his crutches beside him, waiting to return home to Nepal’s Chitwan — the same place the Madhya Pradesh family had just left.
“Look into his case, too. See if there’s anything we can do,” one of the SSB personnel told his colleague.
The 54-year-old Umar Khan struggled to his feet, limping toward them. “I went to Roorkee for treatment,” he explained. “I was sleeping in front of a mosque there when someone stole my bag right from under my head.”
Khan said he had worked as a crane driver across India for years. He recounted an accident in 2012 in Goa where a car hit him, causing multiple bone fractures, including to his hip socket. “I went to Roorkee for a check-up and treatment for my hip. I had Rs 21,000 in cash for the treatment, MRI, and travel expenses,” he said. But the Rs 4,000 that was left over, as well as his Nepalese ID, documents, and ATM card, were gone with the bag that was stolen, he claimed.
“I’ve been stuck here on the Raxaul side of the border since yesterday morning. A kind man bought me food yesterday. I don’t even have a phone,” Khan said. He said he has three sons. “The diary with their numbers was also in the stolen bag. They must be waiting for me, worried.”
Security ramped up
On the side of the checkpoint for people entering India from Nepal, security arrangements were being ramped up. Two vehicles — one white, resembling an ambulance, and the other black, like a police truck — arrived at the checkpoint. Three dogs, two German Shepherds and one black Labrador Retriever, were brought out from the black truck, while the white vehicle carried a baggage screening system.
As people arrived at the checkpoint from Nepal, whether on foot or in vehicles, they were stopped a few metres before crossing into India. “Open your bags… Open all doors and the trunks of your cars… Show your Aadhaar card or Indian driver’s license,” SSB personnel called out, as they inspected each person and vehicle.
Once cleared, the travellers were allowed to enter India. Vehicles with registration plates from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh crossed the border on Thursday, along with pedestrians from as far as southern India.
“I went to visit Pashupatinath Temple, but like many others, I also got stranded. I thought I wouldn’t be able to come back,” said Krishna Rao from Karnataka, visibly relieved after passing through the checkpoint. One of the cars erupted with cheers of “Vande Mataram” as it crossed into Indian soil.
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