Biratnagar, November 15:

Taking into account the increasing incidents of crime in the eastern region, the government has deployed 854 more police personnel in the region, DIG at the eastern regional police office Ravindra Pratap Shah said.

The deployment has raised the number of police personnel in the eastern region to 10,235. Shah said that the force was augmented because of increasing incidents of crime in the region.

DIG Shah said a new riot control company has been posted in Pakali-Itahari of Sunsari district, while a police office at Sitagunj and a ward police office in Rajbiraj have been reinforced. The riot control company comprises 600 personnel led by a superintendent of police.

Police offices in Sitagunj, Rajbiraj and the Lahan area police office have together received a total of 70 new personnel. With the addition of three police posts in the region, the number of police units has gone up to 402. The riot control company will also patrol the East-West highway and ensure there are no traffic obstructions, bandhs or strikes on the highway. It will also curb criminal and anti-social activities in the urban areas and the Tarai region.

The additional police personnel include an SP, a DSP, 17 inspectors, 42 sub-inspectors, 55 assistant sub-inspectors, 137 head constables, 536 constables and 45 peons. Area police offices in Jhiljhile of Jhapa, Pakali of Sunsari and Kalyanpur of Saptari have been upgraded from B to A category, said inspector at the eastern region police office Roshan Acharya.

Shah said the government took the decision to augment the police units in view of growing insecurity due to increasing incidents of terrorism, extremism, extortion, robbery, abduction and murder in the Tarai. He added that the reinforcement would definitely help control crime there.

Interaction between the Nepal police and Indian police has also been stepped after PM Koirala’s recent observation that armed groups indulging in violence in the Tarai were in contact with Indian extremist groups.