NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has stepped up security arrangements at the ‘critical’ polling stations in the national capital before the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to be held on May 25, and are making surprise inpections to these booths to ensure no glitches interrupt the poll process.
“Ensuring the integrity of polling premises is fundamental for a smooth and fair electoral process,” DCP (Shahdara) Surendra Chaudhary said.
DCP Chaudhary, along with other officers, on Thursday inspected the security measures at various critical polling booths in the Shahdara district. “This exercise is being done to ensure security as we prepare for the Lok Sabha elections,” the officer said.
Over 1.47 crore eligible voters of the national capital will exercise their franchise across 13,500 polling booths spread across 2,700 locations. Among them, more than 2,000 booths have been listed in the ‘critical’ category. There are a set of criteria on which the sensitivity of a polling booth is decided, a senior official explained.
“We usually assess it from the law and order point of view,” he said. He said the police have already prepared an action plan to deal with any kind of law-and-order situation that may arise during polling.
Meanwhile, as polling day inches nearer, security arrangments have been tightened across the city.
Rs 22L unaccounted cash siezed
In the North district, a person in possession of unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 22 lakh was intercepted by the Delhi Police and later handed over to the Income tax department as he was not able to give any satisfactory response on its sources.
DCP (North) MK Meena said police was deployed at Pul Mithai to check suspicious actions with respect to violation of the Model Code of Conduct. They were also tasked to check suspected movement of unaccounted cash, supplying of illicit liquor, besides other illicit benefits, during election time.
On May 7, at around 8 pm, one person on a scooty, carrying a bag, and coming from Pili Kothi, Lahori Gate side, was stopped by the cops at a road picket at Pul Mithai for checking and verification.
Unaccounted cash was recovered from his bag. In absense of a satisfactorily reply from the accused, Ankur (31), Income Tax officials were called to the scene who siezed the Rs 22 lakhs (44 bundles of Rs 500 notes).