LUCKNOW: An Indian tourist bus from Uttar Pradesh, carrying pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh returning from the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu was allegedly attacked by protesters amid the ongoing unrest in Nepal, leaving several passengers injured, the bus driver has claimed.
The alleged incident took place on September 9 near Sonauli on the India-Nepal border, when the agitators targeted the bus carrying 49 Indians.
According to the driver, the protestors looted the passengers and attacked them leaving over half a dozen passengers injured. They took advantage of the ongoing protests and unrest in the Himalayan state, prompting heightened security along the seven border districts of UP including Maharajganj, Pilibhit, Shravasti, Balrampur, Bahraich, Siddharthnagar and Lakhimpur Kheri.
Stones were reportedly pelted, shattering windows and injuring passengers, including women and the aged, the driver claimed.
“Seven to eight passengers were hurt, but Nepalese Army personnel came to our aid. The Government of India, later, arranged for all stranded passengers to be airlifted from Kathmandu to Delhi,” said Shyamu Nishad, a bus staff from Prayagraj. The damaged bus reached the Sonauli border near Maharajganj on late Thursday evening.
Recounting the horror, Raj, the driver from Andhra Pradesh, said the mob attacked as he was trying to head back to India. “The attackers pelted stones at the bus, breaking the glass panes and looted our belongings. All passengers have now been flown to Delhi,” he said after reaching the Sonauli border with the damaged vehicle.
Meanwhile, prisoners continued to flee from Nepal and enter Indian territory. Three were detained at the Kheri border, while five were held at the Bahraich border on Thursday. So far, 22 escaped Nepalese prisoners were nabbed at various border points by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
At the Khunwa border in Siddharthnagar in eastern UP, Nepalese citizens attempting to buy essentials in India were stopped by police amid growing tensions and shortages on the Nepal side.
In view of the ongoing protests and violence in Nepal, Siddharthnagar police and district administration carried out a joint review of law and order on the India-Nepal border.
Superintendent of Police Abhishek Mahajan and DM Raja Ganpati R chaired a high-level meeting at the Badhni SSB camp under Dhebarua police station limits, where SSB officials, border police station in-charges, and other senior officers were present.
Following the review, the SP and DM conducted a joint inspection and foot patrol of the India-Nepal border in Siddharthnagar. They also held talks with officials of Nepal Police and SSB to strengthen security coordination, improve communication, and maintain law and order in the border areas.
" Youth-led Gen Z group, which spearheaded the anti-government protests in Nepal, had on Thursday said Parliament must be dissolved and the Constitution should be amended to reflect the will of the people, as the death toll from the demonstrations increased to 34.
The Gen Z protesters organised a press meet here to express their views, while some of their representatives were busy holding discussions with President Ramchandra Paudel and Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel at the Army Headquarters to find a solution to the current political crisis.
