By Express News Service
BENGALURU: The state police are geared up to provide foolproof security on the polling day. More than 1.40 lakh policemen, including personnel of Central forces and other state police will be on the ground on Saturday to ensure a peaceful, free and fair polling. Addressing a press conference on Friday, Director General and Inspector General of Police Neelmani N Raju said that the situation was totally under control. “Before the model code of conduct was enforced, officials of Election Commission of India had several rounds of meetings with the state police.
There were no major concerns like communal tensions or law and order problems in the state. Even today, there are no incidents of communal violence or serious law and order issues, despite all political parties carrying out intense electioneering. Also, there has not been any Naxal activity in the state to disturb peace during the elections, nor have they called to boycott the polls. This is a result of tremendous hard work policemen in Karnataka have put it,” she said.
Out of the total 58,302 polling booths that will see action tomorrow, 12,001 are considered ‘critical’, while the other 46,301 come under the ‘normal’ category. “No polling booth will be left unattended. At least one head constable will be deployed at the ‘critical’ booths, while constables or home guards will guard the ‘normal’ ones,” she said, before going on to add that 585 companies of Central forces such as Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Sashastra Seema Bal are deployed. She also stated that civil police and home guards from other states were being used for the first time, who will be “deputed in bordering districts”.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Kamal Pant, went on to reveal that security measures at polling booths in the state would be at an all-time high on Saturday, and said, “Sector Mobile teams have been formed, each of which will monitor 20 polling booths, and will be supervised by Sector Supervisory Mobile teams. Besides, Subdivision-level Mobile teams have also been formed. Each constituency will get one Quick Response Team (QRT) of Para Military forces and three striking parties such as KSRP and DAR.”
“There are some sensitive areas in Bengaluru Urban city, Bengaluru Rural district, Mangaluru, Mandya, Mysuru, Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad and others. In such places, a total of 10 companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF), which is a dedicated anti-riot police force, will be deployed,” he added.
