Commissioner State Election Commission Basant Pratap Singh has directed all the Collectors and District Election Officers to ensure necessary security arrangements for the urban body elections. The election schedule for the general election-2022 of urban bodies has been released by the State Election Commission on June 1, 2022.
He told to ensure compliance with the instructions issued from time to time to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections.
Commissioner Singh said that there should be a ban on carrying firearms and lethal weapons in urban bodies or related urban areas and wards. Such a ban should be kept in force till the declaration of the election results. If there is apprehension of breach of public security or public peace by a person misusing his weapon, then under the Arms Act 1959, the arms license should be suspended and his weapon should be deposited in the nearest police station.
If there is apprehension of misuse of arms by the arms licensees residing in sensitive areas from the point of view of peace and order, then the licenses of all or selected licensees of such areas should be suspended under the Arms Act 1959 and their weapons should be deposited in the nearest police station and after the declaration of the election results, action should be taken to return the weapons according to the local situation. An intensive campaign should be launched in the urban bodies, to trace such persons and their whereabouts, who illegally possess arms and ammunition, store and supply explosives or they manufacture and trade in arms and strict legal action should be taken against the elements involved in illegal activities under relevant Acts.
Campaign to nab anti-social elements
An intensive campaign should be launched by the police to arrest and make preventive arrests of anti-social and criminal elements and persons involved in illegal acts with the intention of disturbing law and order. Intensive checking of vehicles plying in urban bodies should be done from two days before the date of polling till the day of polling.