India-Nepal Border On High Alert, Blocked Movement

India has tightened security along its border with Nepal amid violent, youth-led protests against a social media ban and corruption in the neighbouring Himalayan country, where Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned under public pressure. Teams of state police have joined the border guarding force, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), to prevent any spillover of unrest into Indian territory. 

India and Nepal share a 1,751 km border spanning across states including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim, and West Bengal, allowing largely unrestricted movement of citizens and goods between both nations-- a practice formalised by the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

In Uttar Pradesh, from Bahraich to Lakhimpur Kheri, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and state police sealed crossings, blocked civilian movement, and launched night-long patrols after mobs across the border set government buildings ablaze, attacked leaders, and stormed jails. In Bahraich’s Rupaidha and Lakhimpur Kheri’s Gaurifanta, check-posts were barricaded and gates locked. Only Nepalese citizens with valid documents were allowed back, while Indian citizens were told to halt their travel plans. Kathmandu-bound flights have also been diverted to other UP airports, leaving the seven frontier districts of Uttar Pradesh on high alert.

The unrest has spilled dangerously close to Indian territory. In Bahraich, protesters attacked the Jamunaha check-post, barely 50 metres from the Indian side, forcing forces here to double the barricades. In Lakhimpur Kheri, residents of border villages reported hearing sirens and gunshots across the frontier late at night as Nepalese security forces tried to disperse mobs.

Meanwhile, UP’s home department maintained that securing the frontier was its priority. “We are monitoring all seven border districts round the clock. Extra forces have been deployed, and drone surveillance is under consideration," a senior official said.

Tourist appeals for help

Amid the ongoing protests in Nepal, a video of an Indian woman appealing for help from the Indian government is going viral. The woman, who identified herself as Upasana Gill, talked about her experience in Nepal as the violent protestors set fire to the hotel, where she was staying. Gill, in the video, stated that while she was at a spa inside the hotel, a mob carrying sticks was running behind her, leaving her to flee for safety. She stated that she had come to Nepal to host a volleyball league.