The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Police heave a sigh of relief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 19, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Police heave a sigh of relief

Staff Reporter

Letika Saran inspects extensively north Chennai wards

VISIBLE PRESENCE: A posse of policemen outside a booth at Railway Colony High School at Ayanavaram on Sunday. — Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI : If there was one group that heaved a sigh of relief at Sunday's incident-free polling — other than the voters — it should be the city police.

After a severe criticism from the public and judiciary over the violence, which erupted during the local body elections in October 2006, the Chennai police said they ensured that this time no mistake was repeated.

Though the voter turnout was far less than last time, the police claimed that the presence of a big posse of men and women in uniform prevented illegal activity or violence.

Even as many polling stations across the city wore a deserted look , Commissioner of Police Letika Saran inspected extensively north Chennai wards.

Talking to reporters at a polling booth, she even replied that since it happened to be Sunday, "the voters may have gone to churches and other places...Yet we have posted adequate number of men and women personnel in all booths. Sensitive booths have been provided with additional strength," she added.

Incidentally, in many booths, the number of policemen outnumbered that of voters in queue.

While the police claimed that they remained `balanced' this time, Farida Varma, a Central Observer from the National Congress Party, who visited some of the polling booths in south Chennai, told reporters that there were complaints of impersonation and other charges even now. "Though we complained to the police and authorities concerned, they refused to entertain it," she alleged.

A senior police officer admitted that the absence of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies in the fray had lessened tense moments as a direct clash between workers of the AIADMK and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam had been prevented. The appointment of IAS officers as Election Observers had brought about better transparency in the functioning of the polling process, the officer added.

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