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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
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
