Amid the ongoing protests, at least eight people have died in prison clashes as around 15,000 inmates have reportedly escaped from different jails in the country
The protests continued in Nepal on Thursday. File Pic/AFP
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which patrols the India-Nepal border, has apprehended approximately 60 individuals suspected to have escaped from Nepalese prisons during the recent violent unrest in the country, officials said on Thursday, reported the PTI.
Amid the ongoing Nepal Gen Z protests, at least eight people have died in prison clashes as around 15,000 inmates have reportedly escaped from different jails in the country.
The detainees, mostly Nepalese nationals, were caught from various border points in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal over the past two days, according to the PTI.
They have been handed over to local police authorities for questioning.
Among those detained, two or three claimed to be Indian citizens, a claim currently being verified by the authorities.
The SSB, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is responsible for guarding the 1,751 km-long open and unfenced border between India and Nepal. The force has deployed around 50 battalions, or roughly 60,000 personnel, across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, and Sikkim -- the five Indian states bordering Nepal.
In response to the unrest in Nepal, the SSB has intensified its surveillance and stepped up patrols across frontier areas.
A senior official stated, “The SSB is maintaining close coordination with its Nepalese counterpart, the Armed Police Force (APF). Joint patrols and independent flag marches are being conducted to signal that India is fully prepared to handle any spill-over from Nepal’s internal situation,” as per the PTI.
The official added that genuine nationals of both countries holding valid identification are still being permitted to cross the border.
Meanwhile, the situation in Nepal remains volatile. On Thursday, three more inmates were killed in clashes with security forces at a jail, taking the total number of deaths in prison violence to eight since Tuesday.
Over 15,000 prisoners are reported to have escaped from more than two dozen prisons across Nepal since massive anti-government protests erupted.
The protests, primarily led by Generation Z, were triggered by allegations of government corruption and a temporary social media ban, prompting Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday.
Following his resignation, the Nepal Army imposed restrictions across various provinces to address the serious law and order crisis.
(with PTI inputs)
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