Bhubaneswar: For smooth and safe conduct of the upcoming assembly and general elections, state director general of police (DGP) Arun Kumar Sarangi Monday virtually held a ‘cooperation meeting’ with SPs and Range DIGs of neighbouring states of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Addressing reporters here after the meeting, Sarangi informed, “We had a cooperation meeting today. Superintendents of Police (SPs) and Range Deputy Inspector General (DIGs) of the bordering areas of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were present at the meeting. From our side officers from the bordering areas attended the meeting.
Senior officials from Intelligence and Operations wings were also present.” Sarangi said that the cooperation meeting was organised following instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure a peaceful and impartial poll process by making the required arrangements to check the trafficking of arms, intoxicants and cash during elections. “It was discussed during the meeting to strengthen intelligence sharing and anti-Naxal operations in Naxal-affected areas,” Sarangi added. The DGP further added that SPs from Odisha’s bordering districts flagged and discussed several issues with their counterparts from Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. “We have discussed various aspects of expanding cooperation in many critical areas,” Sarangi said.
The DGP informed reporters here that much before the elections process set in, border checkpoints have been made operational in many parts of the state since the first week of January. “These border check posts have been provided with the adequate police force and employees depending on the intensity of vehicular traffic,” he added, while informing that seizures have also been made at different check posts. The meeting was organised at the DGP’s Camp Office here and was attended by several senior IPS officers, including Director of Intelligence Soumendra Kumar Priyadarshi, ADG Law and Order Sanjay Kumar, IG Intelligence Anoop Sahu, DIG Special Intelligence Wing Umashankar Dash and IG Operations Devidutta Singh.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
