SSB cops who checked Seema Haider's bus at Indo-Nepal border suspended over negligence

In a recent development, authorities have suspended an inspector and a jawan from the 43rd Battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for alleged negligence in checking the bus on which Pakistani national Seema Haider entered India at the India-Nepal border. The alleged oversight allowed Haider to enter India and reach Greater Noida near Delhi along with her four children.

Full inquiry of the suspended officials pending

The incident took place on May 13 in the border district of Siddharth Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. Inspector Sujit Kumar Verma and Head constable Chandra Kamal Kalita were responsible for checking the passenger vehicle as it crossed over to India from Nepal. Following reports of Haider's arrest in Greater Noida, the SSB initiated a preliminary investigation, leading to the suspension of the two officials pending a full inquiry. The full court of inquiry will investigate all aspects of the incident and examine the roles of other personnel on duty that day.

The SSB, a paramilitary force under the Union home ministry, is tasked with guarding the open 1,751-km-long Indo-Nepal international border on the country's eastern flank. However, due to the nature of the open border, it gets challenging to check and verify the credentials of each individual crossing over to India from Nepal, say officials.

Haider, a 30-year-old from Pakistan's Sindh province, claimed that she entered India to live with her 22-year-old Indian lover Sachin Meena in the Rabupura area of Greater Noida. While Haider was arrested for illegally entering India, Meena was jailed for giving shelter to illegal immigrants. The duo, who met on the virtual gaming platform PUBG in 2019, was, however, granted bail by a local court on July 7. They are now residing together with Haider's four children in Rabupura.

Although Haider has expressed her desire to live with Meena and claims to have converted to Hinduism, the situation has raised concerns over the border security and the need for more robust checks on those crossing the Indo-Nepal border.