The unrest in Nepal triggered additional mobilisation of Indian security forces along the international border on Tuesday, particularly after the downfall of the K.P. Sharma Oli government.
Nepal is to the north of Chicken’s Neck or the Siliguri corridor, which connects the Northeast with the rest of India.
On one hand, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the India-Nepal frontier, deployed more personnel. On the other hand, Bengal police also brought in additional forces to intensify vigil along the border so that the turmoil does not spill over to India.
Bengal police near the Nepal border in Panitanki on Tuesday
“We are working in coordination with the SSB. The SSB has made deployments on its part, while we have posted additional forces and geared up the intelligence machinery. As of now, the situation is peaceful on the Indian side, but we are on alert,” said Rajesh Kumar Yadav, the inspector general of police (north Bengal).
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the rapid deterioration of law and order in Nepal over the past couple of days.
“Nepal is a neighbouring country on which the Centre can comment. But let me assert that we love all our neighbouring countries. There should be peace and amity in our bordering districts so that no one faces any problem. Let Nepal handle the situation on its own. But we believe that if our neighbour is well, we will also be well. There should be peace,” Mamata said at the airport in Calcutta.
The chief minister was talking to newspersons before leaving for Bagdogra, where she landed in the afternoon. She is on a three-day visit to north Bengal and will attend a public service distribution programme in Jalpaiguri on Wednesday.
Mamata, when told about the enhancement of security along the Indo-Nepal border, said: “It is natural and a right decision. It has to be ensured that our people do not face any problem until peace is restored (in Nepal).”
Yadav, along with senior police officers, visited Panitanki, the locality in the Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district that is near the border. Located around 35km from here, Panitanki, which has Kakarvitta of Nepal on the other side of the Mechi river, is a common land route that connects the two countries.
A retired police officer pointed out that Tuesday’s deployment of the security personnel along the India-Nepal border was a repetition of what the bordering areas of the Siliguri corridor had witnessed a year ago, when a similar turmoil had started in Bangladesh.
“At that time, the BSF and the police were on high alert in the southern parts of the Siliguri corridor. This time, there is a similar alert in the northern parts of the corridor, which is strategically important for India,” he said.
The Nepal protests, which turned violent with incidents of firing, vandalism, and attacks on ministers and dignitaries, also impacted the trade at the border.
Near Panitanki, hundreds of trucks carrying various items from India to Nepal were left stranded. “Some truck drivers, who had entered Nepal with their vehicles, have returned to India as they are apprehensive of their safety because of the protests. We are not feeling secure about entering the country, as we might face attacks and our vehicles might be attacked. That is why we are waiting at the border,” said a truck driver.
In Panitanki, the market was empty on Tuesday, with the shopkeepers lamenting the sudden change in the political situation in the neighbouring country. Like Panitanki, security forces were also mobilised at the border in the Pashupati Fatak area near Mirik in Darjeeling district.
Dipak Chakraborty, secretary of the Panitanki Byabsayee Samiti, said the market had around 950 shops, which almost entirely depended on Nepalese customers.
Every day, hundreds of people from Nepal cross the Mechi bridge — the river marks the international border — and visit Panitanki to buy goods.
“Usually, goods worth ₹5-6 crore are sold from the market every day, and around 90 per cent of the buyers are from Nepal. Since yesterday (Monday), they have stopped coming to the market,” said Chakraborty.
He pointed out that ahead of Durga Puja and Dasain, a Nepalese festival, the sales figures went up.
“But this time, the sudden breakdown of law and order has left us concerned. We are keeping fingers crossed and hope normality is restored at the earliest,” Chakraborty added.