India Blockade — 135 Days Without Fuel, Nepal's Worst Humanitarian Crisis Since Earthquake
भारतीय नाकाबन्दी — १३५ दिन इन्धन बिना, भूकम्पपछिको सबैभन्दा ठूलो मानवीय संकट
What happened
After Nepal passed its new constitution, India blocked goods at the border for 135 days. Hospitals ran out of medicine. Reconstruction from the April earthquake stalled. Nepal had to ask China for emergency fuel. Many Nepalis never forgave India for this.
Full Verified Record
Following Nepal's adoption of its new constitution in September 2015, India enforces an unofficial blockade of the Nepal-India border, halting fuel, medicines, cooking gas, and essential goods. The blockade lasts 135 days (September 2015 – February 2016), causing hospitals to run out of medicine, cooking gas supplies to collapse, and reconstruction from the April earthquake to stall. Nepal turns to China for emergency supplies — the first time Nepal-China goods transit exceeds Nepal-India in a single quarter. The blockade becomes the defining event shaping Nepali public opinion on India relations for a decade.
२०७२ असोजमा नेपालले संविधान जारी गरेपछि भारतले अनौपचारिक नाकाबन्दी लगायो जसले १३५ दिनसम्म इन्धन र आवश्यक वस्तु अवरुद्ध गर्यो।
Why it mattered
The blockade fundamentally shifted Nepali public opinion on India. Before 2015, India-Nepal relations were largely positive; after the blockade, a majority of Nepalis began demanding more assertive foreign policy. The RSP's 2026 platform was shaped by this — the promise to "renegotiate" both India and China relationships came directly from blockade-era public anger.
Who was affected
Every Nepali household (cooking gas shortage), hospitals (medicine shortage), reconstruction workers (fuel shortage), businesses. Approximately 28 million people affected.
Verification
verified
Editorial status
approved
Fact sensitivity
Level 1 of 5
Last updated
28 May 2026