In a bid to conduct free and fair polls, flying squads (FS) and static surveillance teams (SST) formed jointly by the district and police administration will be keeping a close vigil round the clock to check those illegal activities which could affect the polling process during the parliamentary elections to be held in April. These teams are being formed on the direction of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair polls in each district.
“Several such teams are being formed comprising a magistrate and police officials who will have to power to raid the spots after getting a lead from the authority or from the public which is free to take actions against anybody who will be found violating the Model Code of Conduct,” said Ranchi SSP Prabhat Kumar. According to Kumar, the teams will also have a camera person who will take photograph and video footage of the activities violating the moral code of conduct, and will lodge complaints on the statement of the magistrate present there which subsequently will be converted into an FIR.
“Flying squad will be looking after the cases related to the arms and liquor while the atatic surveillance team will take care of financial and monitory related matters,” said Kumar. Several such teams are being formed which will be made effective soon which will work round the clock in different shifts. These teams will have the liberty to raid any place in the district and lodge an FIR on its own, he added.
“We have demanded five flying squads and two surveillance teams for Ranchi district to be monitored by the Deputy Commissioner,” the SSP said. These teams will move along with the photographers which, after taking after taking the video footage, can also lodge an FIR against the culprits on the basis of the statements registered by the magistrate present in the team.
“The teams will be made active within one or two days and the mobile numbers of the persons leading the teams will be flashed soon in the newspapers and televisions to make it accessible to the general people,” said the SSP. Any common man can inform the team about the activities which they think is being carried out in the violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Action will be taken against the culprits immediately,” he added. These teams have also been powers to search the vehicles plying on the roads to check carriage of arms and liquor in their area.
Besides, the district police, in order to avoid any untoward incident have launched special drive against the rebels in the left wing extremist affected areas. “We are launching special drives against the rebels in the district which have a tradition of creating obstructions during the polls,” said Kumar. Kumar said, a database regarding the information related to Maoists have been prepared earlier and on the basis of which operations are being conducted against them.