Recently, a viral video featuring content creator and a Nepali traveller Gopal Mandal surfaced on social media that claimed his ill-treatment and arrest threats for carrying and displaying a Nepal flag while traveling in India. The entire incident, which Nepali traveller Gopal Mandal claimed occurred near the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) camp a few kilometers away from Mirik in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, has incited heated online discussions with vehement opinions from both sides.
The Incident: What Happened?
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The travel vlogger, Gopal Mandal, a digital content creator, uploaded a video giving detailed insights into this encounter. According to him, the Indian authorities objected to Gopal carrying a Nepali flag within India during his travels.
The video opens with Mandal saying: “India ke andar Nepal ka flag leke nahi ghum sakte, aaj hume jail me daalne ki dhamki di gyi hai guys,” meaning “You can’t walk around in India with the Nepalese flag. Today, we were threatened with being thrown in jail.”
Later, the video cuts to a clip in which a man, apparently an official or local authority figure, confronts Mandal. The man asks, “Nepal ka flag kyu laga rakha hai?” (“Why are you displaying the Nepali flag?”) to which Mandal replies, “Kyu ki hum dono countries ghum rahe hai.” (“Because we are traveling to both countries.”)
Social Media Reactions
The online community was set ablaze with discussions after the release of the video. Some users sided with Mandal, arguing that carrying a flag from another country should not matter, especially where there are strong cross-border cultural links like Darjeeling, which shares a long historical and geographical bond with Nepal. Others opined that showing a foreign national flag inside India could create a provocation, especially in sensitive border areas.
Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube were overflowing with comments with hashtags like #JusticeForGopalMandal and #NepaliFlagInIndia gaining impetus. Some users pointed out that many Indian tourists proudly carry the Indian flag while visiting Nepal, and so there was no reason to take objection to Mandal’s carrying of the Nepali flag.
Legal And Diplomatic Perspective
From the legal standpoint, India lacks a specific law that prohibits displaying foreign flags unless it is meant to promote national hatred, lawlessness, or any disobedience of its regulations. The affairs of the Indian flag are, in general, governed by the Flag Code, which contains no provision prohibiting the carrying of other flags, especially for the purpose of personal display or symbolism.
Such incidents do create an unnecessary atmosphere of tension, given the good diplomatic ties between India and Nepal. Citizens of Nepal can cross this open border and many thousands reside and work in India without a visa. This leads some analysts to wonder whether the local authorities displayed biases rather than strictly following the law.
The Way Authorities Act
There are no statements to this effect from either Indian law enforcement or border authorities, although it is alleged that the altercation may have been triggered by an increase in border security. The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which keeps the India-Nepal border, regularly checks the movement of individuals so as to prevent illegal activities like smuggling and trafficking.
The speculation exists that the authorities might have misjudged Mandal’s intention, thinking that he was raising a political issue when in fact he was simply presenting his travels between the two neighboring countries.
Conclusion
The Nepali traveller Gopal Mandal’s incident underlined the sensitivities involved in cross-border relations between India and Nepal. On one side are those who say carrying a foreign flag should not lead to threats of arrest; on the other side are those who think this represents lesser sensitivity required in an area of historical and political sensitivity.
This case stands witness to how social media can elevate issues and bring authorities under accountability, for keeping the debate alive whether cultural symbolism, national pride, and personal liberty in international travel are worth fighting for or not in the digital era.
