Sonoli Border (UP): In the wake of the political turmoil in Nepal, India has beefed up security along its border with that country in Uttar Pradesh. Security personnel of paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) are monitoring the movements along the Sonoli border in the state. The intelligence wing has been alerted to prevent any attempt of infiltration in India by Madheshi community fleeing the Himalayan nation. Nepal's Prime Minister Prachanda resigned on Monday after a crisis sparked by his sacking of the country's army chief plunging the Himalayan republic into a political turmoil. The one-year-old Maoist-led government had fired General Rookmangud Katawal on Sunday, accusing him of disobeying instructions not to hire new recruits and refusing to accept the supremacy of the civilian government. The crisis is a huge blow to a 2006 peace pact that ended a decade-long civil war that pitted the army against the Maoists. The peace agreement ushered the Maoists into the political mainstream and they won an election last year. Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh share a 275-kilometer long border area with Nepal. Landlocked Nepal is ringed by India on three sides and by the Himalayas in the north. The border area has always been vulnerable for elements engaged in anti-national activities.
- May 5, 2009