Bhubaneswar: In view of escalating pre-poll violence and Maoist threats, the State Election Commission Tuesday directed all district collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) to pay special attention to sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas during the panchayat elections.
“Ahead of panchayat elections scheduled to be held in five phases between February 13 and 21 we have received reports of violence from different parts and reports of Moist posters in LWE affected areas asking polling officials and voters to boycott panchayat elections,” said a top official of the SEC, adding, “Accordingly all collectors and SPs have been asked to enhance security in sensitive areas.”
The official said the SEC has asked the local administration to start mobile patrolling in those areas and make arrangements for videography, installation of CCTV cameras in the hyper-sensitive booths during polling. The district administration and police have been asked to take note of intelligence reports and coordinate among themselves accordingly for additional security to avoid any untoward or law and order situation. For better coordination the police have also been asked to ensure proper communication with polling officials.
Moreover, the SEC has directed the collectors and SPs to adopt proper standard operating procedure (SOP) during travel and transportation of polling officials, police personnel and polling material from one place to another during the elections.
The SEC direction came soon after a Congress delegation met its officials in the day seeking deployment of adequate police personnel and installation of CCTV cameras in the most sensitive booths.
The Congress also alleged that incidents of booth capturing, manhandling, snatching of ballot papers and boxes, assault to presiding officers, threat and coercion had been reported during panchayat elections of 2012. The party sought action into alleged police and ruling party nexus ahead of panchayat elections and misuse of government machinery by the party in power.
The BJD leaders, however, rubbished the allegations.
SEC for CB probe into Tarabha murder
Bhubaneswar: The State Election Commission (SEC) Tuesday recommended the Home department for a Crime Branch inquiry into the firing incident at Tarabha in Dhenkanal district February 4 in which a man was killed. The recommendation of the SEC came after it received a report from the district collector about the incident. SEC secretary RN Sahu said in the wake of the pre-poll violence, two political parties – Congress and BJP – had also urged the commission Monday to take appropriate action over the incident. Salman Rout (23) of Tarabha was killed in a firing incident February 4 following which prime accused Byamokesh Biswal, an OSAP jawan, was arrested while two others were detained. Meanwhile, the state unit BJP also staged protest rallies at sub-divisional level seeking arrest of BJD leader and minister Prafulla Mallick for his alleged involvement in the incident.
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