NEW DELHI: Amid political turmoil in Nepal, authorities have issued an alert along the India-Nepal border, with India’s border guarding force, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), having intensified vigilance.
It is closely monitoring the situation to prevent any spillover of unrest into Indian territory, officials said on Tuesday.
“An alert has been issued on the India-Nepal border, considering the unrest in Nepal. Sashastra Seema Bal is keeping a close watch on the development,” a senior MHA official said.
The official also emphasised that the current heightened vigilance is “preventive in nature” and the situation remained under control.
The officials also said that adequate deployment “is in place at the border and strict checks have been implemented at several border outposts”.
Coordination with the local administration has also been intensified to ensure the smooth movement of people while ensuring security of the country, they added.
It is to be noted here that the open India-Nepal border, stretching over 1,751 km across states including Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim, allows unrestricted movement of citizens of both countries.
The movement of people across the borders has been allowed since Independence to foster close socio-economic and cultural ties. But, at times when political unrest or protests erupt in Nepal, special security measures are taken by Indian authorities.
In the past, border alerts have been issued during periods of internal turmoil in Nepal, including the 2015 Madhesi protests, which had affected trade and cross-border movement.
The SSB is one of India’s Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), which function under the MHA with a strength of over 90,000 personnel.
The protests in Kathmandu erupted following the Nepalese government blocked access to several social media platforms, including Facebook, claiming social media users with fake IDs were spreading hate speech and fake news, and committing fraud and other crimes via some platforms.