After the incessant Naxal attacks on the candidates in the areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, the security agencies have chalked out massive plans to thwart any Naxals trying to disrupt the polling process with less than a day left for the Lok Sabha voting on Sunday.
The largest paramilitary force of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was deployed in the Naxal areas which were recently withdrawn by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the view of redeployment of CRPF forces in other districts that are going for polls in the 6th phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
The sixth phase is witnessing elections in the Left Wing Extremism districts comprising Purulia, Jhargram, parts of Bankura, and West Midnapore which have not seen any Naxal movements in the last 5 years.
Almost 80,000 jawans of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) has been deployed in these areas to check any Naxal movements during the time of Polling.
S Raveendran, IG, CRPF, West Bengal sector said that the CRPF had started combing and search operations since last week. He said that all the new roads, ambush locations, and Culverts have been identified and all these areas have started sanitizing. He added that “as many as 683 companies have been deployed in the areas and the commandos and ADHOC commanders have been asked to be alert and available on the phones all the time.”
He also said that the priority of CRPF is the safety and security of the polling personnel who often come under attack either on the way back from the polling station or on the way to the polling station. He added that the CRPF will ensure that the personnel is escorted safely to and from the polling stations and as far as the security of CRPF jawans is concerned the officials have been asked to walk on foot to prevent any landmine blast.
To ensure the safety of CRPF jawans several anti-landmine and landmine assistant vehicles have been pressed into the service and the Jawans who will be at the sensitive areas are asked to wear the bulletproof jackets and the bulletproof helmets. In case of an emergency chopper will remain station at Salboni CRPF camp evacuate any injured personnel.
The polling for these constituencies will be held in the 6th phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 12. Results will be announced on May 23.
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