Kolkata: West Bengal State Election Commission (WBSEC) has shot a fresh letter to the Union home minister reminding him for the immediate requisitioning of the remaining 485 companies of central armed forces personnel for the forthcoming three- tier panchayat polls.
Sources said that the SEC wishes to deploy 822 companies of central armed forces for the polls as directed by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court since the figure is in line with what was ensured in the 2013 rural civic body polls by the- then state election commissioner, Meera Pandey.
Currently, sources added, 337 companies of central armed forces, having a mix of personnel from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Railway Protection Force (RPF), have already arrived at the state.
However, sources added, that since no further communication has come from the Union home ministry on requisitioning of the remaining 485 companies of the central armed forces, the state election commission shot a fresh communiqué on this count on Sunday.
On Sunday evening, the state election commissioner, Rajiva Sinha had a meeting with Governor C.V.Ananda Bose at Raj Bhavan, where the issue of central armed forces deployment was discussed. The state election commissioner updated the Governor that the central forces requisition sent by the commission to the Union home ministry is yet to arrive at the state.
Sinha, also reportedly assured the Governor of effective deployment of central forces as they arrive in phases. Sinha also assured the Governor that the central forces’ deployment will be ensured in all the polling stations.
Till date as many as 10 persons have died in poll-related violence during the last 17 days till the time the dates of polls was announced on June 8. The panchayat poll is scheduled on July 8 and the counting will be on July 11
IANS