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Para-military forces stage flagmarch at Chidambaram

By Our Special Correspondent

CHIDAMBARAM, MAY 1. Para-military forces deployed by the Election Commission staged a flag-march in Chidambaram town today under the leadership of the Cuddalore District Superintendent of Police, Rajeev Kumar.

The uniformed personnel went round thoroughfares "to instil confidence in the people so that they could exercise their franchise without any fear. The show of force would also act as a deterrent to mischief-mongers," said Mr. Rajeev Kumar.

Earlier, addressing a press conference here, along with the Sub-Collector, Rajendra Ratnu, and the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Palani, the SP said four companies of para-military forces had been deployed in the district. They had been given orders to shoot at the mischief-mongers if they happened to indulge in booth-capturing or preventing voters from going to the polling stations or instigating violence. The personnel were wielding only self-loading rifles (SLRs) and not lathis.

He said the Director-General of Police, I.K. Govind, had rated Cuddalore district as the most sensitive in Tamil Nadu.

The SP said that in Cuddalore district, comprising nine Assembly segments (six in the Chidambaram Parliamentary constituency, and three in the Cuddalore Parliamentary constituency), there were 1,686 polling stations.

Of these, about 590 (35 per cent) and equal number of villages had been identified as sensitive. Mr. Rajeev Kumar recalled that during the 1999 Parliamentary elections there was police firing to quell violence, and during the 2001 Assembly elections, the deployment of "law and order mobile parties" had prevented the possible breakout of violence.

Based on the past experience, Mr. Rajeev Kumar said that he would deploy 128 election mobile parties, all adequately armed.

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