Security beefed up on UP-Nepal border for Ayodhya event

Lucknow: The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Uttar Pradesh Police have intensified patrolling along the 551 km-long India-Nepal border, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Ayodhya for Ram Temple Bhumi Puja on Wednesday.

According to senior police officers, a tight vigil is being maintained on movement along the border and people living in villages adjoining the border have been asked to alert security officials if they come across any suspicious activity or element in their area.

The security arrangements across the state, especially in Ayodhya and on the Indo-Nepal border, has been beefed up after intelligence agencies warned of a possible terror attack in August.

The Pilibhit police has installed five barriers at different checking points along the 56 km-long Indo-Nepal border in the district to prevent infiltration bid by anti-social elements in the Indian territory.

An additional barricade has been erected on the Pilibhit-Lucknow highway for checking of suspicious vehicles.

Deputy inspector general of police, Bareilly range, Rajesh Pandey, who has been camping in Pilibhit for the past three days, said: "I have been monitoring policing during Eid and Raksha Bandhan, but I have also held the string of security and vigilance myself since Tuesday considering the high-profile ceremony in Ayodhya."

He said: "I have patrolled the Indo-Nepal border stretch in the district along with police force and the SSB to take stock of the security arrangements and vigilance."

Orders have been issued to take into custody any person who appears suspicious.

Pilibhit superintendent of police (SP) Jai Prakash Yadav said: "We will not allow any foreigner to go Ayodhya via Pilibhit without an authorised invitation. Policemen in civil dresses have been deployed in border villages to keep a tab on activities there, while barricades have been erected on roads leading to Nepal and Uttarakhand for checking vehicles and identification of people."

Both, police and SSB personnel, deployed on the Indo-Nepal border in Lakhimpur are also keeping a vigil on movement of people while forest officials have been asked to remain vigilant and share information with security agencies if they find any suspicious movement in the forest area.

Lakhimpur ASP Arun Kumar Singh said: "Local police are in regular touch with SSB and even carrying out joint patrolling in the border areas. Following a security alert ahead of the ceremony in Ayodhya, the district borders have been sealed and the duty hours of policemen extended until the function gets over."