Amid the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed the state police to swiftly identify sensitive areas, ideally by the second week of March. This identification will aid in planning the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) based on the sensitivity of these areas. The ECI has decided to deploy 480 CAPF companies in the state before the official announcement of polling dates and the enforcement of the model code of conduct.
At a recent meeting with top police officials, the ECI emphasized that the initial deployment of 480 CAPF companies between March 1 and March 10 should focus on early area domination rather than remaining idle. The deployment process will be overseen by central observers appointed by the ECI in West Bengal. These observers are tasked with supervising the deployment and providing daily reports to the ECI.
The deployment plan for the 480 CAPF companies will be coordinated with the respective forces and their chief coordinators. The movement and deployment of CAPFs will be managed by the CRPF as per the Commission’s directives. The first phase of deployment on March 1 will include companies from CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB, while the second phase on March 10 will see a similar deployment pattern. The de-induction process of these companies will be communicated in due time.
