KOLKATA UNDER WATCH: EC’S ‘IRON FORTRESS’ PLAN DEPLOYS RECORD 2,000+ COMPANIES FOR BENGAL POLLS

In what is being referred to as the most intense security arrangement in the annals of Indian state elections, the Election Commission (EC) has drawn up a strategy to deploy an unprecedented number of 2,000 to 2,500 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) per phase in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly Elections.

This massive deployment, which far exceeds the deployment of 700-odd companies during the last Assembly Elections in the state, is aimed at turning the state into a “security fortress” as it gets set for a critical, two-phase battle on April 23rd and April 29th.

Vast in physical space and technological oversight, the deployment will be like no other in West Bengal’s electoral history. The introduction of what will now be known as “digital eyes” will provide live video of every polling place within the 80,719 polling stations in the state. Statewide observers will be able to observe or view the commotion occurring outside of polling places and even within those polling places. Drones will aid in this oversight by providing aerial views from above polling places located in vulnerable constituencies, meaning that even the most inaccessible areas of rural Bangladesh will remain under continuous observation.

“Our goal is to have zero tolerance for any act of violence,” Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said at a press conference. There are many more aspects involved with how the deployment of the personnel will occur, and speed will be one of them. To achieve this, EC has reduced the number of phases for the elections to only two, resulting in a phenomenal density of close to 250,000 personnel per day. Before any votes have been cast, tactical units belong to a “Vanguard” of 480 Companies that are already in West Bengal for purposes of patrolling and establishing perimeter control (via “area dominance) at polling locations in preparation for the upcoming election.

As tensions grow in the political arena, allegations of booth-jamming and intimidation have amplified calls from opposition parties for “airtight” security. The ruling TMC has also been critical of the large number of security personnel deployed throughout Bengal, claiming it creates a “military-style occupation” that intimidates the electorate. The central government agencies have begun deploying to the remote areas of Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas. The question remains, will this record-setting steel and silicon barrier provide a “violence-free” election in Bengal?

By Anupama Shaw