Following an attack on AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s car at Hapur in Uttar Pradesh while returning to Delhi after attending election-related events in western Uttar Pradesh, where polling is due in a few days, the Election Commission has directed to provide adequate security to star campaigners of political parties in the upcoming Assembly polls in five States.
In a letter to chief secretaries and chief electoral officers of five States, the EC said that It has been brought to the Commission's notice that the star campaigners in the on-going general elections to the Legislative Assemblies of the five States have faced security issues. “The Commission has taken congnizance of the matter and has decided that star campaigners appointed by the political parties should be provided adequate security cover within the state during the of conduct of elections,” it said.
“The security arrangement of star campaigners shall be monitored by a nodal officer at the state level and a nodal officer at the district level to be appointed by the concerned State and UT government. Therefore, the political parties concerned shall provide visit plan, route chart and any other necessary information for providing necessary security cover to their star campaigners to the chief electoral officers and the deputy election officers,” reads the letter.
The poll body further said that the star campaigners constitute an integral part of the election process and their security is of utmost importance for ensuring free and fair elections.
Officials said that the security of star campaigners further becomes far more sensitive during the election period because of additional criticality due to possible proximity with large crowds and sensational impact of any such incidence on law and order across state, established SoPs [standard operating procedure] should be followed scrupulously. The SOPs including advance detailed programme, necessary permissions to hold rallies or road shows, deployment, use of bullet proof vehicle and observance of provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, among others.
Owaisi on Thursday had requested the poll body to ensure an independent probe into the incident.. After the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs provided ‘Z’ security cover to Owaisi which he rejected.