India's border with Nepal is closed and under heavy guard following a deadly clash between police in the eastern Indian state of Bihar and rebels with suspected links to Nepal's Maoist guerrillas.
Police say the fighting began onThursday when about 100 rebels attacked a police station and two state-run banks in the border town of Madhuban. At least 21 people were killed in the unrest. Authorities say the rebels belong to the Maoist Communist Center, which is believed to have close ties with Maoist rebels in Nepal. Maoist rebels in Nepal have been fighting to replace the present monarchy with a communist state, and in India to press for land reforms.