Sashastra Seema Bal increases vigil along Indo-Nepal border ahead of PM Modi's visit

MAHARAJGANJ: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Gorakhpur on July 22, Uttar Pradesh Police and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have stepped up vigil along the Indo-Nepal border that falls under the Gorakhpur-Basti division.

During the visit, Modi is expected to announce the restarting of a fertiliser factory and to lay the foundation stone of the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) beside addressing a rally.

To prevent movement of terrorists in the area, security agencies have been asked to ascertain identities of people before allowing them to cross over the border, IG (Gorakhpur Zone) Mohit Agarwal said.

Orders have also been issued to other security agencies such as Indo-Nepal Border Police and Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) to be on the alert at the border.

"All the border outposts (BOPs) have been kept on high alert. Patrolling in sensitive border areas has been increased to check anti-nationals element," a senior SSB official said.

"We received instruction that some insurgent might be crossing over and so we have been asked to maintain a strict vigil," SSB Deputy Commandant Manish Kumar said.

Police in the districts of Mahrajganj, Siddharthanagar, Shrawasti and Bahraich, sharing border with Nepal, have been put on high alert, Agarwal said.

Intelligence units have also been asked to keep an eye on religious places along the border.

Patrolling of public spots such as cinema halls, hotels, rail and bus stations has been intensified to prevent untoward incidents, Agarwal added.