Trucks & trade stranded at Panitanki as Nepal burns
Times of India | 10 September 2025
Siliguri: Fresh protests erupted at the Kakarvitta–Panitanki border crossing, about 34 km from Siliguri, on Tuesday morning, leaving hundreds of trucks stranded as tensions escalated in Nepal.
A customs duty office was set on fire.
As the protesters burnt tyres and blocked roads, security was reinforced at Panitanki and Pashupatinagar, around 29 km from Darjeeling. Meanwhile, many people crossed over to the Indian side in search of food after shops in Nepal were forced to shut down.
Traders on the Indian side suspended the export of essential commodities, while vehicles from Nepal were stuck across the border.
Officials at the Indian Immigration Check Post (ICP) in Raniganj, Panitanki, clarified that cross-border movement of people remained unaffected as no official order to seal the border was issued.
"Of customers coming to Panitanki market, 90% are from Nepali. During this time of the season, around 50,000-60,000 people visit the market. But on Tuesday, barely 100 people came, mostly for medical or emergency needs.
Even though the border remains open and no official notification has been issued, we have stopped exporting essentials to Nepal for security reasons," said Dipak Chakraborty, joint secretary of Panitanki Byabsai Samiti.
According to him, around 500 trucks carrying essential commodities normally leave for Nepal every day, while Nepal sends back around 80 trucks exporting plywood, brooms and cardamom. Additionally, about 60 Nepali trucks ferry oil from India to Nepal daily.
"More than 200 loaded trucks carrying essential commodities have been left stranded in long queues. Nearly 20 Nepal-registered oil tankers bound for Nepal from India are also waiting. The protesters even set fire to the bhansar (custom duty) office, with smoke from the blaze visible from Panitanki," Chakraborty added.
Indians planning to travel to Nepal by own car or motorcycle must obtain a permit from the bhansar (customs) counter at the border.
With tensions escalating, there are possibilities that some individuals may have crossed over to India seeking safety, though there was no official word on this.
Alisha Chettri, an Indian citizen who went to visit her in-laws in Nepal, said she was caught in the middle of the protests while returning. "The protest broke out at Kakarvitta in the morning and everything was shut. I came to the Indian side and managed to have food.
Along with me, there were many others in search of food," she said.
Officials at the ICP in Raniganj, Panitanki, said the situation at the border was peaceful. "The situation is normal here and the border is open, though goods vehicles have stopped plying," an ICP official said.
Darjeeling SP Praween Prakash said security forces were deployed to prevent anti-social elements from entering India. "We have set up naka checks along the border areas of Panitanki, Kharibari and Pashupatinagar, and additional forces have been deployed to maintain law and order.
The border is peaceful on our side. We are maintaining high vigil with round-the-clock checks," Prakash said.
The 41st battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal, Ranidanga, is deployed along the Indo-Nepal international border in Darjeeling. Panitanki, within its jurisdiction, serves as a crucial trade and transit hub. The SSB Border Outpost at Panitanki handles over 50,000 people and thousands of vehicle crossings daily, making it the eastern gateway to Nepal, on the banks of the Mechi river.