LUCKNOW: Amid the ongoing unrest in Nepal, a batch of pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh faced tense moments when miscreants attacked their bus near Kathmandu Thursday morning, looted their belongings and left several of them injured.According to police, the pilgrims were returning from a visit to Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu when their bus, bearing a UP registration number, came under attack. The assailants hurled stones at the bus, smashing its windows, and robbed the passengers of their bags, cash and mobile phones. “Seven to eight passengers were hurt, but Nepalese army personnel came to our aid. The Indian govt later arranged for all stranded passengers to be airlifted from Kathmandu to Delhi,” said Shyamu Nishad, a bus staffer. The damaged bus reached the Sonauli border near Maharajganj in UP on Thursday evening.Recounting the harrowing experience, bus driver Raj, who hails from Andhra, said the mob attacked as he was heading back to India. “The attackers broke all the glass panes with stones and looted our belongings,” he said after reaching Sunauli border.The violence and tension in Nepal has prompted Indian authorities to heighten security and vigilance in the border areas of UP, Bihar and West Bengal. The bordering districts in the three states remain on high alert to thwart any untoward incident or illegal movements across the border. Only Nepalese citizens stranded in India are being allowed to cross the border after verification of citizenship cards by the authorities on both sides of the border. A tourist car managed to cross into Nepal from Raxaul border in Bihar, but was immediately turned back by Nepalese security. The car owner was detained by SSB at the main entry gate to Birgunj in Nepal. At the Khunwa border in UP’s Siddharthnagar, Nepalese citizens attempting to buy essentials in India amid shortages in their country were stopped by police and made to return.Indian tourists, pilgrims and labourers stranded in the strife-torn Himalayan nation have also started returning in batches, with the embassy in Kathmandu arranging for their transportation in coordination with Nepalese authorities.Thirty-six trucks from India, including 19 petroleum tankers, drove over to Nepal from Panitanki border point in Darjeeling, while four trucks carrying perishable goods were expected to set off in the evening, taking provisions to the Himalayan country that has been reeling from a goods shortage. Three ambulances were allowed to cross the Panitanki border.
