Heavy security for phase 3 in Odisha, 121 companies of CAPF deployed
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Police has deployed around 35,000 personnel to ensure order during third phase of polls in the state on Saturday.
Around 121 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), 106 platoons of Odisha Armed Police and 19,865 civil police personnel have been deployed in the state for the phase, DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi told mediapersons on Friday.
“Twenty additional companies of CAPF have been sent to Odisha. The state police had sent 1,200 of its home guards to Chhattisgarh when the neighbouring state went to polls. As polling has concluded there, Chhattisgarh has sent 300 constables and 700 home guards for election duties in Odisha,” DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi told mediapersons on Friday.
In the third phase, polling will take place in six parliamentary constituencies and 42 Assembly seats in 12 police districts - Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Cuttack Urban Police District, Nayagarh, Puri, Khurda and Bhubaneswar Urban Police District.
Around 10,551 polling booths have been set up in 7,646 places, of which 20 per cent have been marked sensitive. Candidates of various political parties have submitted their ‘worry list’ of booths and CAPF will be deployed in them after assessing their sensitivity, police said.
“Five young IPS officers of ASP rank have been sent to Sambalpur, Khurda, Keonjhar and Cuttack to supervise law and order situation. A total of 42 Assembly supervising officers of additional SP rank, 84 DSPs (two for each Assembly segment), 231 sector officers of inspector rank will be engaged for elections on Saturday,” said Sarangi.
The Assembly supervising officers, DSPs and sector officers have all been provided striking forces. Around 43 additional SP rank officers, 95 DSPs, 238 inspectors, 2,160 SIs/ASIs, 10,212 havildars and constables, 7,117 home guards and gram rakhis, 763 mobile parties, 331 flying squads, 343 static surveillance teams have been deployed to maintain law and order. CAPFs will be deployed in sensitive booths.
Police said 17 inter-state border check posts equipped with CCTV cameras and 116 intra-state border check posts have been set up to keep close vigil on antisocials and transportation of unaccounted cash and other illegal articles during elections in the third phase. So far, Odisha Police has registered 78 cases related to various incidents during elections out of which 17 are for violation of MCC. Police have initiated action against 89 anti-socials involved in these cases. Around 16 cases have been registered in districts going to polls on Saturday and all the accused arrested, Sarangi said.