As though the Sandeshkhali turmoil was not enough; there is more ‘bad’ news for the Mamata Banerjee Government. The Election Commission of India is sending some advance battalions of central forces to Bengal well before the declaration of the general elections.

According to ECI sources 100 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will be sent to the State on March 1. This is two days ahead of the visit of the full bench of the ECI. The forces will comprise 20 companies of CRPF, 50 companies of BSF and 10 companies each from ITBP, SSB and CISF.

Further on March 7, a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tour of Bengal the ECI will send another 50 companies of central forces, sources said. Out of these 50 companies 30 companies will come from BSF, whereas 10 will come from CRPF and 5 each from SSB and RPF, sources said. 

The forces will not only start area domination but also get and understanding of the geographical and administrative area of the places they will so be deployed, sources said adding this will reduce dependence on the local police that often mislead the forces or take meandering routes to reach the places of occurrences, this delaying action.

This year, the ECI has decided to deploy the most number of central forcers to Bengal which will get 922 companies of CAPF.

This, in view of intermittent complaints of political unrests and murders --- particularly during the elections --- for the past several years.

Incidentally the Calcutta High Court had during last year’s panchayat elections directed a reluctant State Election Commission to seek and deploy 82,000 central force personnel.