Anticipating potential tensions after the release of final voters’ lists, the West Bengal government has marked Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, and Cooch Behar as highly sensitive districts due to their borders with Bangladesh. These areas have seen occasional unrest in the past, with Malda and Murshidabad being minority-dominated regions. Four senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers have been appointed to oversee law and order in these districts, starting their duties at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Additional Director General Ajay Nand will oversee Malda district, supported by officers from the Counter-Insurgency Force and Malda District Police. Deputy Inspector General Sunil Kumar Yadav has been assigned to Cooch Behar, with assistance from the Rapid Action Force and Cooch Behar District Police. Deputy Inspector General Rashid Munir Khan will supervise security in Murshidabad, aided by personnel from the Counter-Insurgency Force and Murshidabad District Police. Inspector General Gourav Sharma will lead security arrangements in Nadia, with support from officers of the Nadia District Police.
In preparation for security measures, the first batch of 240 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) has started arriving in West Bengal. These forces, including units from CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB, are set to be deployed from March 1. The deployment of CAPF units has begun even before the announcement of polling dates and the Model Code of Conduct enforcement. An additional 240 CAPF companies are planned for deployment from March 10 to bolster security in the state.
