To ensure free and fair local body elections on April 16, over 12,000 additional police personnel will be deployed in different districts all over the State with instructions to deal strictly with those who try to disrupt election process. The State Election Commission has identified 1065 supersensitive and 981 sensitive booths out of a total of 2389 booths all over the State and has asked State Police to make adequate security arrangements to ensure peaceful elections.
“Extensive security arrangements for the local body elections due on April 16 have been done by the State Police for which over 12000 police personnel from different state and paramilitary forces have been provided to the districts as per requirements made by them,” said IG (Operations) and Jharkhand Police Spokesperson Ashish Batra. Deployment of security forces will be done on the basis of sensitivity profiling of each and every district, he added.
“Meanwhile, clear instructions have been passed to the district administration to take stringent action against those trying to disrupt election process or disturb social harmony on Monday,” said the IG. They have also been asked to take all measures to ensure free, fair and peaceful polls in the State, he added.
Batra said that Ranchi having maximum number of booths, major chunk of security forces – around 35 per cent, have been provided to it to ensure free and fair polls in the districts.
ADG (Operations) RK Mallick also asserted that all arrangements related to security aspect have been done for the upcoming local body elections and District Administrations all over the State were on full alert to ensure free and fair polls in the State. The ADG said that forces will leave for their respective deployments as soon as poll campaigning ends on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the State Elections Commission, keeping a close eye on the preparations made by the district administration, has been in regular touch with them through video conferencing and has also been giving required instructions to ensure free and fair polls in the State.
“I have asked district administrations to take all require steps to ensure peaceful polls on Monday and make adequate security arrangements for hypersensitive and sensitive booths identified by us,” said State Election Commissioner NN Pandey. A total of 1065 hyper sensitive and 981 sensitive booths have been identified by us in different districts all over the state, he added.
Taking precautionary measures, the District Election Officer in Ranchi has ordered dry day from 5 pm on Saturday to 7 am on April 17 during which there will be a ban on liquor sale in the district. An intensive drive against illicit liquor has also been launched in Ranchi during which one person has been arrested from Kokar area under Sadar Police Station in Ranchi and has recovered huge catch of illicit liquor worth several lakh.
Meanwhile, taking preventive measures to check movement of anti-social elements inside the State, borders of Chaibasa, Jamshedpur, Saraikela, latehar, Ramgarh, Chatra, Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega, Khunti and lohardaga will be sealed on Monday. Check-posts will also be set up in Ranchi at nine locations like Tupudana, Naya Sarai, Dalali, Kathal More, Pandra, Rock Garden, Chiraundi, Booti More and Namkum.
Besides keeping an eye on criminal elements, a close vigil will also be kept on the movement of PlFI and other splinter groups. Bordering states like Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha, through Interstate Coordination Meeting called by the State Police, have also been alerted so that exchange of information could be made effectively to neutralize anti-social elements creating hurdles during elections.
local Body Elections are scheduled to be held in 34 out of the 41 Urban local Bodies in Jharkhand on April 16 after the notification issued by the State Election Commission on March. Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral polls will be fought on party lines for the first time in Jharkhand this year.