Shimla : The Govt of Himachal Pradesh is serious on extradition of Nepalis. The Nepali laborers are the backbone of Apple industry in Himachal. The state government has written to the Union Home Ministry to take up with govt. of Nepal the issue of handing over Nepali nationals involved in heinous crimes in Himachal Pradesh. Despite an extradition treaty with the Himalayan kingdom, this was not being done. The state police is yet to arrest more than 15 Nepalis wanted in heinous crimes like murder and rape as they returned home after committing the crime here.
Principal Secretary, Home Department S. Vijay Kumar said though an extradition treaty with Nepal was there but under it only Indian nationals who fled the country after committing crime here were handed back to India.
There had been several instances when on the request of the Indian Government, the Nepali nationals committing crime in India were not handed to India.
The Home Department and the police felt the need for taking up the issue with the Central govt. so that they are able to arrest the culprits wanted in serious crimes. In quite a few cases, the Himachal police is aware of the identity and location of the suspects as after committing the crime in Himachal they are leading normal lives back home in Nepal. The police efforts to seek their extraditions have not yielded results, as it only applies to Indians who go there after committing crime and not to Nepali nationals. There is a huge population of Nepali workers in the state, especially in the districts of Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, Kinnaur and Kullu. In fact, the apple economy of the state is totally dependent on the Nepali laborers who stay in the apple orchards round the year and tend the plants.
