Nepal anarchy forces Bihar border gates shut, hits business

Birgunj/Patna: Border entry points in seven Bihar districts adjoining Nepal were sealed Wednesday amid rioting, arson and jailbreaks in the Himalayan nation and attempts by large groups fleeing the violence to enter India.

West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj, where life normally blends into the bustle on the other side, bore scars of the anarchy sweeping through Nepal towns like Birgunj and Biratnagar.

Goods-laden trucks stalled by the transport paralysis stretched for kilometres leading to the international border at Raxaul in East Champaran, Jogbani in Araria and Galgalia in Kishanganj. Officials estimated more than 12,000 vehicles headed for Nepal, mainly trucks and trailers, were stranded.

The daily passenger train between Jaynagar in Madhubani and Kurtha in Nepal - a 35km route with eight stations - was suspended indefinitely. PM Modi and then Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba had inaugurated it in 2022.

In Biratnagar, less than 15km from Jogbani, rioters torched border gates and the Nepalese customs & revenue office at Rani. Within hours of the Bihar administration's closure, lengthy queues of vehicles formed on the Forbesganj-Jogbani highway.

News that SSB personnel apprehended 10 of around 500 prisoners who escaped from a jail in Nepal's Jaleshwar late Tuesday added to concerns. Two of those caught are Indians, sources said.

Mahesh Agrawal, secretary of Seema Jagaran Manch in Nepal, said businesses on the Bihar side were severely hit. "Fish, milk, fruits and vegetables go to Nepal daily. With the gates shut, many traders are trying to cross through rural routes at the risk of being caught or assaulted," he said.

Mohd Hayat, a Jogbani trader, estimated losses of Rs 500 crore over past three days. "Nepali customers are our lifeline. With entry blocked, the business has collapsed."

Around 300 daily-wage workers from East Champaran employed in industries in Birgunj, Parwanipur, Kawaiya and Semra also saw their livelihoods vanish overnight.

In Bengal, where Mirik in Darjeeling is less than 20km from Nepal's Pashupatinagar, CM Mamata Banerjee urged stranded tourists "not to do anything in haste." She said the state was working to bring them back safely. West Bengal Police set up two helplines for returnees via the Panitanki or Pashupati checkpoints.


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