With the youth wing of the Nepal-based Maoists claiming strategically important Kalapani and lipulekh areas in Uttarakhand, located close on India-China-Nepal border, as parts of their country, security forces have been put on high alert along the sensitive international frontiers contiguous to Uttarakhand. As a precautionary measure, about 10 youth Maoist leaders were detained by SSB from Dharchual region in Pithoragarh district. They were released on Wednesday after they were interrogated, said PS Sailal, DIG, Kumaon range.
Mentionworthy, SSB and ITBP are the two forces tasked to stand guard on the sensitive Indo-Nepal and Indo-China borders respectively. “We are, however, fully prepared to deal with any situation on this international borders,” he said, adding that Uttarakhand police, deployed in Kumaon region, has also been put on high alert in view of the Nepal-based Maoists supposedly engaged in spreading wings in the region.
Quizzed over such people having earlier claimed the same, DIG Sailal answered in the affirmative, saying such claims had been made by the youth wing of Nepal-based Maoists in 1990s.
Security forces sat up in alarm after the youth Maoists leaders from Nepal who had gathered at Darchula in Nepal, located close to the International Border with India’s Dharchual area in Pithoragarh, claimed Kalapani and lipulekh as parts of Nepal while addressing a convention on Tuesday.