New Delhi, 11 Sep

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that guards the India-Nepal border has caught about 60 persons from various locations along the international front, officials said. Most of them are Nepalese who are suspected to have escaped in jailbreaks during the unrest in their country.

SSB troops caught them from border points in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal over the last two days, the officials told PTI. They have been handed over to the respective state police forces and are being questioned, they said.

Two or three of those nabbed claim to be of Indian origin and this fact is being ascertained, the officials said.

The SSB, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), guards the 1,751 km long unfenced India-Nepal front on India's eastern side. It has deployed about 50 battalions, translating to about 60,000 personnel, in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Sikkim that share the front with Nepal.

The force has "stepped up" vigil in the frontier areas and enhanced surveillance along the border in the wake of the protests in Nepal.

"The SSB is in touch with its Nepalese counterpart APF. They have also undertaken joint patrols with them apart from independent flag marches in the border areas to send across a message that the Indian side is ready to meet any challenge emerging from the recent developments in Nepal," a senior official said.

Nepal has been assured of all cooperation and genuine nationals of the two countries, carrying valid IDs, are being allowed to cross the border, he said.

Three inmates were killed on Thursday during clashes with Nepalese security personnel at a jail, while more than 15,000 prisoners are stated to have escaped from more than two dozen jails since violent protests erupted in that country.

With the latest deaths, the number of prisoners who died during clashes with security forces has increased to eight since the violence erupted on Tuesday.

The violent agitation forced prime minister K P Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday, following which the Nepal Army imposed restrictions due to a serious law and order situation across provinces.