Motihari/Bettiah: The ongoing unrest in Nepal, particularly in Birgunj, has begun to disrupt travel and trade along the Bihar-Nepal border. Tourists and traders are turning back from Raxaul as violent protests spilled over into Birgunj, leaving several injured in police firing and sparking panic just across the Maitri bridge in India.Rajendra Rastogi from Jharkhand, who had planned a trip to Nepal, abandoned it midway and returned to Patna. “I decided to return back because there is unrest in Nepal,” he said. Lili Joseph, a tourist from Indonesia, also chose not to cross over at Raxaul. “I came back from Raxaul and I am now touring East Champaran to see the Kesariya Buddha Stupa,” she said.

Their decisions reflect the growing unease in border areas as violent protests in Nepal deepened on Tuesday. Manoj Kumar Yadav, a resident of Nawalparasi, said, “The way the protests are going on, it seems that a curfew situation will soon arise.” He added that people in smaller towns and rural areas were joining demonstrations against the Nepal govt’s social media ban and corruption by shutting shops and organising rallies.In Birgunj, protests turned violent on Tuesday. Police firing injured several people, including a woman near the customs office, sparking panic in Raxaul, just 200 metres away across the Maitri bridge.The paternal home of deputy president Ram Sahay Yadav in Bara district was set on fire. The paternal home of Lalbabu Raut, ex-chief minister of Madhesh, was also torched in Birgunj. Homes of former ministers of the Oli govt – Ajay Chaurasiya, Pradeep Yadav, Raj Kumar Gupta and Anil Ranguta – were set ablaze in Parsa district. “This unrest is the worst in decades,” said Rajendra Raut, a social worker from Dhanusha district in Madhesh.In Valmikinagar on the Indian side, the violence has cut into the daily flow of visitors from Nepal. Local resident Naseem Khan said, “Every day, hundreds of people from Nepal, including schoolchildren, visit Valmiki Ashram and other religious sites such as Valmiki Tiger Reserve. But now Indian people are avoiding travel to Nepal due to security concerns.”At Raxaul, normally a bustling gateway, the market has fallen quiet. Around 50 tourists have abandoned plans to cross over and turned back. Police said curfew in Birgunj, adjacent to Raxaul, has prevented many Nepali citizens from crossing into India. East Champaran SP Swarn Prabhat said, “All preventive measures have been taken to maintain peace on border and police are keeping eye on the activities of anti-social elements.”Raxaul SDPO Manish Kumar added that tourists were being discouraged from entering Nepal because of the curfew.The clampdown has hit trade as well. Long rows of goods-laden trucks stand idle at the integrated customs check post in Raxaul, waiting for calm to return. Sanjay Pandey, commandant of SSB 47 battalion, said all border outposts had been alerted to prevent “bad elements taking advantage of the situation in Nepal to sneak through.”The protests have spread across Terai towns including Triveni, Raninagar, Gopiganj, Vardghat, Lumbini, Bhairahawa and Butwal. Youths on motorbikes could be seen raising slogans and rallying through the streets, undeterred by ministerial resignations or curfew orders.On the Indian side, officials said the situation was under control. Bagaha SP Sushant Kumar Saroj, who conducted joint patrolling with SSB 21 battalion at Valmikinagar, said, “Everything is normal on the border at present. There is no restriction on the movement of people.”(With inputs from Dilip Kumar)