evidence: Eventually, the whole Susta Village Panchayat of Nawalparasi district drifted towards the other side of the river, turning into the banks of the river on the Indian side. Those who had no documentary evidence and who had left their land due to a lack of citizenship went back to Susta and resumed farming in the leftover land. Also, those who were living in the bordering areas of both Nepal and India and were in search of fertile land also joined the flood victims to occupy the empty land. They started gathering support by inviting their relatives and friends. Since Susta is very fertile, it was able to easily attract people. Once it became a small village consisting of a majority of people of Nepali origin, the Nepali state tried to take ownership of this territory by putting the area under Ward No 4 of Tribeni VDC of Nawalparasi district. In fact, the Narayani River now divides the ward such that half of the territory is on the other side of the river Bankatia. One can see a chunk of unused land in Susta village, facing the Gandak barrage to the north. Documents state that both Nepali and Indian governments decided to maintain the status quo in the land since 1960s as no one knows the actual size of the disputed land since no measurement was made after the river left it behind. While addressing the Indian Parliament on December 11, 1968, then Deputy Minister at the Ministry of External Affairs Surendra Pal Singh referred to the Nepali Ambassador to India and mentioned 2,000 bighas as disputed land.