Patna (Bihar) [India], November 11 : Following the recent blast in New Delhi and the ongoing assembly elections in Bihar, Bihar's nearly 700-kilometre international border with Nepal has been sealed for 72 hours to ensure peaceful elections are conducted, Bihar's Director General of Police Vinay Kumar said on Tuesday.
"The Police is alert following the incident that occurred in Delhi yesterday, to ensure no such incident happens in Bihar. The international border along Bihar has been sealed for the past 72 hours in view of the elections," DGP Kumar told ANI here on Tuesday afternoon.
A total of 7 districts share a border with Nepal, including West Champaran, East Champaran, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, and Sitamarhi. All seven districts are currently undergoing polling in the second phase of assembly elections which started at 7 AM today.
Nepal shares an international border with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, sharing a total border of over 1,300 kilometre. The India-Nepal border is overseen by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The DGP said that joint patrolling by state police forces is being done along the interstate borders.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired a high-level security review meeting at his residence to assess the situation following the deadly blast in Delhi that killed eight people and injured several others on Monday evening.
The meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Sadanand Vasant Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha. Jammu and Kashmir DGP Nalin Prabhat joined the meeting virtually.
A team from the FSL and the NIA revisited the blast site on Tuesday morning to collect additional forensic evidence. The NIA is currently assisting the Delhi Police in the investigation. Officials suspect the Delhi blast and the Faridabad recovery may be part of a larger terror network operating across state lines.
The first phase of polling in Bihar concluded recently, with elections for 122 seats scheduled on November 11 for the second phase. The results of the Bihar Assembly elections will be announced on November 14.