Vigil along Indo-Nepal border stepped up ahead of Ukhand polls

The Indo-Nepal border along Champawatand Pithoragarh districts in Uttarakhand has been sealed and security stepped up following a call for boycott of the February 15 Assembly elections in the state by suspected Maoists, police said today.
Posters, banners and painted slogans put up by suspected Maoists were found at various places in and around Someshwar in Almora on February 10, "asking the public to shun the polls and start a civil war".
According to Deputy Inspector General of police in Kumaon division, Ajay Rautela, security agencies, SSB personneland police are keeping strictvigil along the240 km-long Indo-Nepal borderthat falls in the region tonab "anti-nationalelementsthat coulddisruptthe polling process."

"Keeping recentincidents of Maoistposters seem insome parts of Almora district, we have taken extra care of the Maoist elementsfrom across theNepal border," Rautela said.
District election officer Ranjit Sinha said out of a total of 568 polling booths inall four assembly constituencies there, 62 have beendeclared as 'critical' and extra security arrangements have been made there.