Nepal turmoil: Alert sounded along border

Security alert has been issued to all the five states along the highly porous border as Nepal plunges into crisis.

An alert was sounded on Tuesday in states along the Indo-Nepal border by the Union Home Ministry, which also asked the para-military forces to step up vigilance on the 1,751-km boundary in the wake of sudden political developments in the neighbouring country.

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A senior Home Ministry official said that security alert was issued to all the five states along the highly porous border to check movement of criminals and flow of arms, particularly ahead of the forthcoming Constituent Assembly elections in the Himalayan nation.

Nepal plunged into a political crisis on Tuesday morning with the Maoists pulling out of the coalition government, dealing a blow to the fragile peace process after their demand for immediate abolition of monarchy was rejected.

The Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB), the para-military force of the MHA which guards the border, has been asked to keep maximum vigil along the international boundary skirting Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim, the official said.

A high-level meeting was held in the capital recently to review the security along the border in the run-up to Constituent Assembly polls in Nepal in November.

The meeting, chaired by Secretary (Border Management) in the Home Ministry, U N Panjiar, suggested tightening of measures to check the flow of arms and movement of unwanted elements.

Talks between the foreign secretaries and home secretaries of the two countries are likely to be held shortly to discuss the nitty-gritty of the arrangements.