To foil West Bengal post-poll unrest, EC to retain 70,000 CAPF personnel

NEW DELHI: Even earlier counting takes place, the Election Commission is preparing for the post-results script successful West Bengal by retaining astir 70,000 cardinal forces unit successful the authorities for continued vigil, peculiarly successful pockets with a past of post-poll violence, and initiating strict enactment against immoderate attempts to people governmental rivals.As portion of information arrangements to forestall a repetition of the 2021 post-poll unit — which, arsenic per the past DGP’s study sent to an NHRC enquiry committee, had seen 1,934 incidents including murder, intersexual assault, arson and grievous wounded — power rooms are to beryllium acceptable up astatine the EC's headquarters, Nirvachan Sadan, and the bureau of the Bengal main electoral serviceman to show the concern connected counting day, May 4, and nonstop contiguous enactment successful lawsuit of immoderate untoward incident.

Forces inactive stationed successful Bengal volition support strict vigil successful susceptible pockets that witnessed unit successful 2021, and anyone recovered to beryllium progressive successful immoderate effort astatine unit volition look strict enactment arsenic per law.As per the 2021 NHRC enquiry report, determination was organised, wide and targeted unit based connected governmental affiliation crossed aggregate districts successful the months pursuing counting. The 1,934 incidents of post-poll unit included execution (29), intersexual battle (12), grievous wounded (391), arson/vandalism (940) and intimidation (562).

Though 9,304 persons were accused, lone 1,345 were arrested. The NHRC probe recovered that FIRs were not registered successful 60% of complaints.In a caller PIL filed successful the Supreme Court, a plea was made to nonstop the constitution of a high-level monitoring committee nether a retired justice to oversee the functioning of instrumentality and bid machinery successful Bengal. It further sought that the authorities authorities beryllium told to support instrumentality and bid and instrumentality indispensable steps, including deployment of capable cardinal forces unit successful susceptible areas.