For violence-free polling on Wednesday, the concluding phase of the Assembly elections in West Bengal, the Election Commission (EC) has deployed over 2,300 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) alongside drone surveillance and patrolling bikes to maintain order.
Apart from using drones fitted with cameras for the first time in the state elections, the poll body has deployed 2,343 central companies across the state, including 273 in Kolkata to ensure a “calm and well-managed” polling, officials said, adding that more than 6,000 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and 26 senior police officers have been put on special duty.
In an intensified confidence-building measure (CBM), officials said that 1,543 people have been arrested over the last 36 hours.
The crackdown focused on known “troublemakers”, with the highest number of arrests in Purba Bardhaman (479), followed by 319 in North 24 Parganas and 246 in South 24 Parganas. Among those detained was Naru Bhagat, the TMC councillor of Purba Bardhaman.
Speaking about the security deployment, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand said, “The QRT teams are in. Motorcycle patrolling, 273 companies of CAPF are there in Kolkata and also we have our own force. Bhangar is a sensitive area, so extra naka checking will be conducted there.”
Meanwhile, the EC has asked the National Investigation Agency to ensure bombs are not used by miscreants to disrupt voting and target workers of political parties, poll authority officials said on Tuesday.
The directive comes after recovery of crude bombs in the poll-bound state and reports of a minor blast.
On April 26, police recovered crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district.
Later, on a directive by the Union Home Ministry, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case to probe the recovery of 79 crude bombs in the state.
The EC on Tuesday transferred the Joint Block Development Officer (BDO) of Falta in South 24 Parganas district, barely hours before the final and second phase Assembly poll, following protests by the TMC in the constituency over the visit of special police observer Ajay Pal Sharma.
The EC also removed two Additional District Magistrates, one of them in charge of South 24 Parganas district, of poll-related responsibility, but did not cite reasons in another notice on Tuesday night.
An EC official said the Joint BDO, Sourav Hazra, has been moved out of Falta and posted to Purulia with immediate effect.
He will be replaced by Ramya Bhattacharya, he said, describing it as a routine transfer.
In the second order, the EC removed ADM of South 24 Parganas, Bhaskar Pal, and ADM of Birbhum, Souvik Bhattacharya, from all election-related duties, the official said.
(With PTI Inputs)