Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 17: A high level panel of police and para-military forces set up by the Government to make security arrangements for upcoming Lok Sabha elections to six Parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir had decided to deploy 330 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) apart from entire police force at the disposal of the State to ensure free, fair and smooth polling.
The CAPFs and local police would be bifurcated in two Zones—Jammu and Kashmir and then rotated Parliamentary constituency wise, where elections would be held in five phases.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Security Group met here and gave final touches to security preparedness for Lok Sabha elections, CAPFs to be mobilized from internal resources and sought from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and local police to be rotated from the districts and posted on election duty.
“A total of 330 companies of CAPF would be deployed for the elections. We have sought over 100 additional companies from the MHA while rest of the companies would be mobilized from the internal resources,’’ they said, adding that entire police force of Jammu and Kashmir excepting the jawans required for maintenance of law and order locally would be deployed on election duty.
The Election Commission has made the task of security agencies a bit easier by holding elections to six Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir in five phases. While four Lok Sabha seats of the State including Jammu-Poonch, Udhampur-Doda, Anantnag-Pulwama and Srinagar-Budgam would go to polls in equal number of phases i.e. one seat in one phase, Baramulla-Kupwara and Ladakh constituencies would have election in one phase.
Ladakh is a peaceful Parliamentary seat with no militancy or major law and order problem and would be requiring very less CAPFs as compared to five other Lok Sabha seats.
Sources said the Security Group, which is headed by Special Director General of Police, K Rajendra Kumar, has decided to bifurcate CAPFs and local police in two Zones—Jammu and Kashmir, from where they would move to Lok Sabha constituencies, where elections would be held.
“The deployment would be completed at least four days ahead of elections in all areas including polling stations of the Lok Sabha seat,’’ sources said. All sensitive areas falling in the Lok Sabha segment, polling stations and their adjacent areas would be properly sanitized well ahead of the elections, they added.
After polling is complete in Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat on April 10, the CAPFs and police would shift to Udhampur-Doda, where elections would take place on April 17. Similar strategy would be followed in Kashmir division, where elections would be held on Anantnag-Pulwama constituency on April 24, Srinagar-Budgam on April 30 and Baramulla-Kupwara and Ladakh on May 5.
Sources said entire police force at the command of the State including Armed, IRP, Training Schools and even police station level would be utilised for the elections as per the requirement.
Apart from deployment of CAPFs and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the sensitive areas, polling stations etc, the State Government has also put Army and BSF on high alert along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB).
Army and BSF were already on high alert well ahead of the elections following reports that militants would try to infiltrate inside the Indian territory to disturb the elections.
The security forces were maintaining extra ordinary vigil round-the-clock along the LoC and IB and would further strengthen their cordon along all infiltration routes a couple of days before the elections, sources said, admitting that reports continued to pour in about militant presence across the border.
The Security Group headed by Mr Rajendra comprised IG CRPF Jammu, IG CRPF (Operations), Kashmir, IG BSF Jammu, IG BSF Kashmir, IGP Jammu, IGP Kashmir, DIG ITBP, DIG SSB, DIG CISF and Commandant RPF.
The Group would hold regular meetings to review deployment of CAPFs and police and take other requisite measures for peaceful elections.
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