The Election Commission (EC) of India directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to deploy another 100 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in West Bengal for free and fair elections.
According to sources quoted by news agency ANI, in light of the EC’s instruction, 55 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 45 of the Border Security Force (BSF) are being deployed to the state.
The ministry, the sources said, has been directed to complete the deployment by April 15.
While the exact reason for the fresh deployment was not stated in the ANI report, Bengal has witnessed several instances of poll-related violence, including during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Lok Sabha Elections Held Along Assembly Polls
The Lok Sabha elections are being held alongside assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. In February, weeks before the poll dates were announced, the EC had sought 3.4 lakh CAPFs to be deployed in a phased manner during the exercise.
According to a report in PTI, the EC also sought adequate rolling stocks with all appropriate facilities to ensure hassle-free mobilisation and timely movement of forces.
A CAPF company comprises around 100 personnel. The CAPFs comprise the Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and National Security Guard (NSG).