more on Susta: courtesy:Informal service sector 'Indian agression on Nepal' Meanwhile, a considerable incident of Indian intervention took place in Susta in May 1964. A joint gang of Indian policemen and burglars attacked Susta. Pitambar Jung Rana and four homeguards were caused to disappear in the attack. Susta lies in Nabalparasi district of Lumbini zone. Indian nationals had been carrying out activities of burglary and attack for a long time in Susta situated on the border region. On January 22, 1965, a gang of Indian burglars entered into Susta all of a sudden and brutally killed two Nepalese citizens, Chandra Bikram Shaha and Jaya Bahadur Nayak, and imprisoned Rabijung in the Gorakhpur jail after he was kidnapped. Likewise, in 1968, Indian officials entered into Susta in an unauthorized manner and kidnapped four Nepalese citizens including a member of the ex-army organization. The kidnapped citizens were imprisoned in the Betiya jail of India. (The Dainik Nirnaya, Bhairahawa, October 14, 1968). Then "again on June 12, 1970, a clash took place between Nepalese citizens and Indian policemen. Recently, a Nepali citizen has been killed. A news has published that two thousand Indian soldiers have been camping in Susta after they entered into the Nepalese territory there on June 12, 1970". (The Charcha weekly, 13 January 1971). "Once the date and time were set to hold talks after the Susta dispute became very serious, and accordingly, Nepalese officials went to Susta and waited there for 15 days, but the Indian officials did not show up. The second time, although the diologue started, yet it was aborted on the pretext of mid term polls. The third time, although the dialogue was held on April 27, 1963, yet the Indian side dismissed it without signing the minutes". (Hiranya Lal Shrestha: Indo-Nepal Relations, page 57). The Leftist political forces and the students had organized protest demonstrations across the country against Indian aggression and intervention upon Susta, a problem arisen due to the open border. In connection with these demonstrations, scores of citizens and students were arrested in different parts of the country. Prior to it, the question of Susta had come up in the Indian lower house. On June 19, 1962, Indian prime minister Jawahar Lal Neharu in reply to a question said, "The fact that the dispute has been continuing for generations demonstrates that the problem is a little bit sensitive. A survey should be carried out along with other necessary things, and I think that something has been done to carry out an appropriate survey". The following thing has been mentioned in an information given to the upper house of the Indian parliament on June 26, "Since 1884-85, there has been a dispute between the two countries over the area of 15 miles from Gandaki to Tribeni where the three places - Gorakhpur (Utter Pradesh), Champaran (Bihar) and Nepal are connected together. This has happened because of the change in the direction of the river over the place where the border has been determined. A joint border commission was formed in 1929. Meetings of the representatives of the governments of Nepal and Bihar were held in 1937, 1947, 1952 and 1953 to settle the dispute". (Bhasin A.S: Document on India-Nepal Relations, page 82-83). Communiques had been repeatedly released by the Indian embassy based in Nepal soon after the later incident of aggression over Susta. However, these communiqu?s were contradictory in themselves and vague. Regarding these communiqu?s, Hiranya Lal Shrestha writes, "... the third communiqu? contains some bitter words, but it has accepted the fact that Nepalese citizens had been arrested by Indian police personnel and has claimed that the area where they had been arrested was Indian territory. The fourth communiqu?, referring to newspapers, has mentioned that according to the legal provision of India, the Indian authorities of the Betiya jail have been writing to the concerned Nepalese authorities to pay the bail on behalf of the jailed ones. In the next communiqu?, it is claimed that since the Nepalese citizens had been arrested together with 4 Indian citizens and had also been suited in the court, the area where they had been arrested belongs to India. (Indo-Nepal Relations, page 58). The branch river of the river Gandaki called Rahuwa Ghola is regarded as the international border line between Nepal and India in the Susta region. But in course of time, when the course of the River Gandaki changed the river bed under the branch river called Rahuwa Ghola turned into the sandy plain, the Indian side began to claim the ownership of this sandy plain. If the Rahuwa Ghola is regarded as the border line, the whole area covered by the administrative centre of Gandak dam and the Gandak dam itself constructed according to the agreement falls inside the Nepalese territory. But it is obvious that India is not ready to accept this historical fact because of her vested interest and so she is not ready to settle the dispute before it is too late. That is why, one need not hesitate to say that being motivated by this vested interest India does not allow the scheduled talks to be held and continue the talks until a favourable situation is created to fulfil her interest. During that time, indicating the position of India, The Navabharat Times, an Indian newspaper, wrote, "India has rejected the proposal of Nepal that the border between Nepal and Bihar over a few acres of land in the Susta region be determined on the basis of the map drawn by an English officer in 1817 A.D.. The Indian side has made it clear that the above mentioned map does not have any importance because it is neither accepted by the two governments nor it was drawn on the basis of any survey. India has made it clear that both governments have signed the document of border agreement and its map of 1902, so this only is the valid agreement and, therefore, new border posts can be planted based on it (September 3, 1969). In the same issue, the Nawabharat Times wrote, "India has proposed that the island called Narshahi, which is situated on the border near Susta, can be given to Nepal on lease for 99 years but its sovereignty will be with India. Instead of it, let Nepal give India the area called Susta on lease".