New Delhi: India is planning to send two Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft to Kathmandu in Nepal to evacuate over 400 Indian citizens stranded there over the last two days.
Civilian flight operations have been suspended at the airport after violence started on Monday, leading to the ouster of the K P Sharma Oli-led government in the Himalayan nation.
Officials at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu are in touch with the Nepal Army to coordinate the landing of aircraft and secure safe passage for citizens. Discussions are underway to send two Indian Air Force planes from New Delhi, officials said.
Nepal has witnessed at least 22 deaths since Monday, including that of 19 youngsters who were shot dead by the police. On Tuesday, protesters torched Parliament, the president’s office, the prime minister’s residence, the Singha Durbar, political party offices, and homes of senior leaders.
India has issued travel advisories for its citizens in Nepal. Helplines have been opened. Indians planning trips to Nepal in the near future have been asked to defer their journey dates.
The Nepal Army has now taken control of the situation. Troops have been deployed across Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur, with restrictive orders imposed to restore calm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Tuesday evening to discuss the situation in Nepal. He expressed anguish over the spiralling violence, calling the loss of young lives “heart-rending” and urging Nepal’s citizens to support peace.
“The violence in Nepal is heart-rending. I am anguished that many young people have lost their lives. The stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance to us. I humbly appeal to all my brothers and sisters in Nepal to support peace,” PM Modi wrote on X.
