state times news
Srinagar: Over 50,000 personnel of central paramilitary forces will assist the Jammu and Kashmir police in ensuring free and fair polling during the upcoming Assembly elections.
“As many as 520 additional companies of central para-military forces including CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, CISF and RPF will be arriving within days to strengthen the security grid,” Director General of State Police K Rajendra Kumar said chairing a high-level meeting here.
A company comprises around 100 personnel.
The meeting was convened at police headquarters to discuss and review the security plan and deployment arrangements for the five-phased elections, beginning next month and was attended by senior police and central paramilitary officers.
“The additional forces will be fully equipped to maintain law and order and security during elections,” Kumar said adding arrangements with regard to their stay in different areas and their mobility, health care, heating and other required facilities as per the weather requirement have been finalised.
The police chief warned subversive elements of “stern action” if they try to create law and order problems during the polls.
“Anybody indulging in any subversive activity, which could create law and order problem in electoral process, would be dealt severely,” Kumar said and asked for maintaining continuous vigil on the activities of such elements and sharing of the inputs to take any required action under law.
He impressed upon the participants to implement the action plan strictly for the security of candidates and polling booths. .
The DGP said the security arrangements for polling booths would be put in place, keeping in view the sensitiveness of the areas.
“Besides maintaining law and order during the election campaign, security of the candidates will be focused on priority so that people could participate freely in democratic process,” he said.
Stressing for better coordination among the forces to ensure free and fair polls, he said joint meetings need to be conducted frequently at different levels and the inputs shared so that timely action is taken to deal any situation. Six Deputy Inspectors General of Police were nominated as Nodal officers who would ensure coordination among different security agencies. The DGP asked the Nodal officers to arrange frequent meetings and establish joint control rooms, besides maintaining communication network in the areas.
He said the places of public meetings and polling booths should be sensitized and required security arrangements put in place for the people participating in election process.
Road Opening Parties (ROP) should be deployed on daily basis for ensuring free and secure movement of different political leaders and candidate in different areas, he said. The DGP had threadbare discussions regarding the security scenario in different areas. He also discussed facilities available in the existing transit camps of security forces in the state and logistics required for the manpower to be deployed. (PTI)