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All the police stations on Indo-Nepal border have been put on high alert following reports of frequent violent clashes between Madhesis (people of Bihar living in Nepal) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists).

The civil unrest in Nepal has led to mass exodus of Madhesis to Indian territory in the past few weeks. There are eight districts sharing porus borders with the Himalayan Kingdom.

East Champaran Superintendent of Police SK Jha said patrolling had been intensified in areas along the Indo-Nepal border. “The district police and the SSB personnel have been asked to keep a close watch on the porous border. All the police stations and SSB posts have been put on maximum alert in view of new developments in Nepal,” he added.  

There seems to be no end of clashes between the Madhesis and the Maoists. Even on Tuesday, five Bihari labourers sustained bullet injuries when Maoists opened fire at famous Birganj market, economic capital of Nepal.

The Intelligence and police officials posted in bordering districts apprehend backlash, with Madhesis and their relatives living in Indian territory, vowing to teach the Maoists a lesson. 

“The main cause of concern for us is that relatives of the people of both the countries frequently cross over due to porous border. Any incident across the border has immediate repurcussion here,” said West Champaran SP, BS Meena.

Intelligence reports said that many top raking leaders of Hindu fundalists were on the hit list of the Maoists for lending their support to the Madhesis’ demand.  
A senior IPS officer said that the situation was slowly going out of hand. If the state and central governments continued to ignore the situation, time is not far when the issue will become a bone of contention between the two neighbouring countries, he added. Majority of the district police chiefs echoed similar views.     

“With more and more industrial units being shut in Nepal, main markets remaining closed for weeks together and tourists avoiding visiting the country, a large number of people have indulged in trans-border smuggling for survival,” the officer said.

Assistant Commandant of the SSB Pankaj Abhiram said the SSB personnel were facing problems in carrying out patrolling on the border due to lack of roads. The distance between the two SSB posts is long, which makes the task more difficult for the SSB jawans, he said. 

The situation can be gauged from the fact that the SSB personnel have hired tongas and bullock carts to carry out patrolling in Adapur (East Champaran) area. Notably, RJD MP from Sheohar Raghunath Jha raised the issue in the Parliament recently.

Email author: ramaashankaar@indiantimes.com