Read the below statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R).
Assertion (A): India and Nepal continue to experience unresolved border tensions in regions like Kalapani and Susta, despite finalizing over 90% of their boundary strip maps.
Reason (R): The border dispute in Susta arises due to encroachments by Nepalese villagers across the international border marked by the Treaty of Sugauli of 1816.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. A is true, but R is false.
Assertion (A) is true: While India and Nepal have agreed on the vast majority of their boundary maps, the Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Susta regions remain significant points of contention and were excluded from the finalized strip maps.
Reason (R) is false: The dispute in Susta is not primarily due to villager encroachment, but rather the changing course of the Gandak River. The Treaty of Sugauli (1816) defined the river as the natural boundary; however, over decades, the river shifted eastward, leaving formerly Nepalese-claimed land on the Indian side, leading to conflicting territorial claims.