India urges citizens not to travel to Nepal

Indian nationals requiring assistance can contact the embassy in Kathmandu on the helpline numbers: +977 – 980 860 2881 and +977 – 981 032 6134

Updated on: Sep 9, 2025, 18:08:18 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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New Delhi: India on Tuesday urged its citizens not to travel to Nepal till the situation stabilised, and said those already in the neighbouring country should shelter within their residences and avoid going out, as protests continued in Kathmandu and other cities.

As the violent protests continued, the external affairs ministry issued an advisory that said Indian citizens should defer travel to Nepal

Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday after large groups of demonstrators vandalised official buildings, including the Parliament, and attacked homes of political leaders — a day after a government crackdown on protests left 19 people dead and more than 400 others injured.

Also Read: Anger over ‘Nepo Kids’ fueled Nepal Gen-Z rage: How protesters gathered amid ban

As the violent protests continued, the external affairs ministry issued an advisory that said Indian citizens should defer travel to Nepal “until the situation has stabilised”. Indian citizens currently in Nepal were “advised to shelter in their current places of residence, avoid going out onto the streets and exercise all due caution”.

According to the external affairs ministry, there are some 600,000 Indians living in Nepal. The two countries have a largely open border, and travel between the two sides is visa-free.

Also Read: Former Nepal king expresses grief over 19 deaths amid protests against KP Oli

Air India, IndiGo, and Nepal Airlines cancelled their flights between New Delhi and Kathmandu on Tuesday, and the Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal’s capital was temporarily closed.

The advisory called on Indian citizens in Nepal to follow safety advisories from Nepal authorities and the Indian embassy in Kathmandu. Indian nationals requiring assistance can contact the embassy in Kathmandu on the helpline numbers: +977 – 980 860 2881 and +977 – 981 032 6134.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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