Police in Bihar have put the state on high alert following intelligence inputs that three suspected terrorists affiliated with the proscribed Pakistan-based outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammed, have infiltrated into Bihar through the Indo-Nepal border, the state police headquarters confirmed on Thursday.
Police released sketches of the suspects and stepped up surveillance in border areas, especially in districts adjacent to Nepal. The alert comes at a time when political activity in the state has intensified in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections later this year.
Heightened security arrangements have been made in light of increased visits by national political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi is currently undertaking a 1,300-km ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, traversing 23 districts and 50 Assembly constituencies across the state. The yatra passes through Sitamarhi and Motihari — both bordering Nepal — on Thursday and is set to resume on Friday from Bettiah, another district bordering Nepal. It will then proceed towards western Bihar districts such as Gopalganj, Siwan, and Saran. The 16-day campaign, launched from Sasaram on August 17, aims to highlight alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
In a press conference at the BJP’s state headquarters on Tuesday, the party’s state president Dilip Jaiswal had announced that Prime Minister Modi would visit Purnia, which is also near the Nepal border, on September 15. The PM is scheduled to inaugurate the Purnia Airport and is expected to announce development projects worth several thousand crores for the Seemanchal region.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs and intelligence agencies are closely monitoring the situation in Bihar, officials said, adding that security along the border between India and Nepal has been tightened, with intensified patrols being conducted and inter-agency coordination enhanced to prevent any untoward incident.
