Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Poll security measures reviewed

Staff Reporter

Coimbatore: The Collector and District Election Officer, S. Kosalaraman, on Tuesday held a meeting of all agencies involved in the conduct of the elections to the State Assembly and reviewed the security arrangements.

All the 18 observers deputed by the Election Commission of India (including the three expenditure observers) and returning officers of all the 15 Assembly segments (including Dharapuram in Erode revenue district) attended the meeting.

The Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore city, Karan Singha, the Deputy Commissioners of Police, Vidya D Kulkarni (Crime) and T.S. Anbu (Law and Order), Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural District, P.C. Themozhi and all Assistant Commissioners of Police and Deputy Superintendents of Police also took part. The observers asked for close liaison with the officers in charge of neighbouring States and districts in terms of constituencies that abut inter-State and district borders.

Sensitive pockets

The meeting took stock of the deployment of police force in 45 sensitive polling pockets in

Coimbatore city and 165 in Coimbatore Rural District. These pockets will be given special attention and the deployment will be under the direct control of supervisory officers. The sensitive pockets have been identified on the basis of poll-related skirmishes and incidents that were reported in the past besides taking into account the vulnerability of the areas based on the candidates and political parties in the fray.

Standby reinforcements from Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) will be kept in a state of readiness.

Polling stations

In Coimbatore Rural District that accounts for 11 Assembly segments, 5,086 police personnel will be deployed in and around polling stations. The deployment will be in addition to pickets, patrolling and standby strike force contingents. The Rural Police will draw police reinforcements from special units, Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion and special armed police from standby units.

In addition, special police officers (i.e., retired defence and police personnel) and home guards are also being drafted for poll duty.

In Coimbatore city, besides deployment for law and order maintenance, 1,610 police personnel are being deputed exclusively for security duty at the polling stations.

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