2015 Nepal blockade

This article is part of a series about S. Jaishankar
Early life Diplomatic career 31st Foreign Secretary of India 2015–2018 Tenure 2015 Nepal blockade Doklam standoff 30th Minister of External Affairs of India Incumbent Tenure Modi government (Modi II Modi III) Foreign policy of the Modi government International trips Operation Ganga 2023 G20 summit Personal life Writings (The India Way Why Bharat Matters)
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Beginning on 23 September 2015,^[1] India imposed an unofficial blockade as a protest against changes to the country's constitution supported by Nepal's Madheshi people^[2] with involvement of Indian Border Police and Customs officials^[3]. Many of Nepal's Madheshi people hail from India,^[4] and the Nepalese government accused India of provoking the blockade, which the Indian government denied.^[5] However, some reports, including statements attributed to Indian border security officials and oil company representatives referencing “orders from above” to stop fuel trucks, were cited by critics as evidence suggesting otherwise.^[3] The blockade lasted until February 2016.^[6]

The Madheshi people had been protesting as early as August 2015, objecting to the new constitution’s provisions however, no cross‑border trade disruptions occurred at that time.^[2] Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar visited Kathmandu on September 18–19, 2015, conveying India’s position that Nepal should accommodate the Madhesi parties in the constitution‑making process.^[7] In response, Nepali leaders stated that Nepal was a sovereign nation, free to determine both the timing and the content of its constitution.^[7] The proposed amendments were not adopted, and the constitution was promulgated on September 20, 2015. The blockade was imposed in the days following the promulgation.^[8] It also started #BackoffIndia hashtag campaign against intervention of India in Nepal's internal affairs and causing the blockade.^[9][10]

The blockade, which came just months after the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, severely hampered humanitarian efforts in the earthquake's aftermath, including important food and shelter shipments to people impacted by the earthquake.^[6][4] A landlocked country, Nepal had imported "all" of its petroleum supplies via India at the time of the blockade,^[1] meaning the blockade had effectively halted imports of petroleum into the country.^[6][5][11] This fuel shortage resulted in the shuttering of schools, markets, and public transportation within Nepal.^[6] Roughly 300 fuel trucks enter from India on a normal day, but this dwindled to a sporadic passage of 5–10 fuel trucks daily during the crisis, though shipments of perishables like fruits and vegetables had generally been allowed to pass.^{[citation needed]} The blockade also had a severe impact on the country's healthcare system, and it was reported that hospitals had run out of medicines and blood bags as a result.^[11][4] UNICEF and Oxfam warned in November 2015 that the blockade subjected risking Nepal to a major health crisis that could impact millions.^[1][12] The blockade coincided with the beginning of the 2015–2017 Nepal humanitarian crisis.

Nepal accused India of imposing an undeclared blockade triggered,^[5][11] which India denied, stating that the blockade was on the Nepalese side of the border, and that some Indian truck drivers were simply concerned about their safety amid protest-related clashes.^[5][11] Nevertheless, some have highlighted concerns by the Indian government over the revisions of Nepal's constitution, and over China's influence in Nepal.^[5][4] The Nepal Oil Corporation also reported that trucks it had sent into India to retrieve fuel had only partially been supplied by Indian counterparts.^[13]