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Nepal unrest sparks security concerns in India

Sudeshna Sarkar/SNS
Kathmandu, April 15: The unrest in Nepal has become a threat to security in Bihar
across the border and indeed, the rest of India, with angry Indians, and not Maoists posing a fresh threat. Between 150 to 200 skilled Indian labourers, mostly from Bihar, who were employed in factories in Birgunj town near the Bihar-Nepal border, and were living on the factory premises, were attacked by armed mobs earlier this week, robbed and told to leave.
The frightened workers first fled to Raxaul and complained to the Indian consulate representative there, after which they re-grouped and tried to storm Raxaul railway station to attack the Sadbhavana Express, coming from New Delhi. With the Delhi-Raxaul trains usually carrying a large number of Nepalis, their muddled idea was to inflict some sort of revenge on Nepalis. But the Government Railway Police controlled them and escorted the Nepal-bound passengers to the border to safety. Concerned similar incidents in future could trigger an Indo-Nepali riot in India, where tens of thousands of Nepalis study, live and work, the Indian consulate in Birgunj has sent a stiff note verbale to the Nepali foreign ministry.

The note, the second in three months, says if this happens again, it would have far-reaching consequences for Nepal. Around February, the Indian authorities had expressed concerned to the Nepal government after an Indian expatriate working for an Indian joint venture in Birgunj, was shot in the leg by an extortion gang. As Kathmandu city remained crippled Saturday, on the 10th day of the
protests, and government imposed day-time curfew in the nearby Hetauda district, along with other business houses, Indian joint ventures continued to reel. ITC subsidiary Surya Nepal, Dabur Nepal, Nepal Lever and dozens of other Indian JVs have remained closed since April 6, losing millions in revenue. With Customs employees and others also joining the strike, India’s Container Corporation of India, overseeing the transport of goods by rail from Kolkata to the Birgunj inland clearance depot, is badly affected. With flights to Birgunj also being suspended, desperate businessmen are flying from Kathmandu to Delhi, catching the train to Raxaul and from there trudging on foot or hopping into an auto rickshaw to reach Birgunj. UPA soft on Maoists: Advani
Anantapur, April 15: Accusing the UPA government of having a “soft corner” for Maoists in Nepal and extending support to their insurgency, senior BJP leader Mr LK Advani today warned that such a course could prove harmful to both India and the Himalayan Kingdom. “I am disappointed with the Prime Minister’s failure to explicitly mention the well-known link between Maoist insurgents in Nepal and the Naxal outfits in India.” PTI


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