Ahead of Republic Day, security agencies on hight alert along Indo-Nepal border

Identities of people are being checked before allowing them to cross the border to prevent the movement of anti-social elements in the area, said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Gorakhpur, Akhileshvar Singh.

Maharajganj (UP): Security agencies along the Indo-Nepal border have been put on high alert here ahead of Republic Day celebrations in the country, a senior official said here on Wednesday.

Identities of people are being checked before allowing them to cross the border to prevent the movement of anti-social elements in the area, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Gorakhpur, Akhileshvar Singh told PTI.

In an effort to strengthen the security arrangements at the porous Indo-Nepal border and stop the infiltration of anti-national elements, SSB has installed close circuit and drone cameras on every route leading to Nepal, the officer said. Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district shares an 84-km open border with Nepal.

Singh said these cameras have been put on SSB posts besides on the main roads. Metal detectors have been installed at Sonauli and Tuthibari outposts on the Indo-Nepal border, he added.

Dog squads trained in detecting narcotics and arms have been deployed to check smuggling across the border, the officer said.

Assistance from Nepalese security agencies is also being taken so that no anti-national elements infiltrate the Indian side, Singh said.

The DIG said security agencies are on high alert and tight security arrangements have been made on the Nepal border in Maharajganj.

"Sashastra Seema Bal and the police are investigating suspicious people in the congested areas and dhaba alongside the border. Along with this, a strict vigil is being kept on the people and the vehicles passing through the Sunauli Indo-Nepal border with the help of the dog squad," officials said.