Record 64,000 security personnel on poll duty in Punjab

Chandigarh, Feb 11 (UNI) The Punjab Police have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure free and fair elections in all the 115 of the 117 assembly constituencies and the Amritsar Parliamentary constituency that go to the polls on February 13.

Informing this here today, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) R S Gill said more than 64,000 state police and Para Military Force (PMF) personnel have been deputed for these elections. The total strength of the PMF personnel is around 50,000, while the rest are Punjab police personnel.

The DGP said out of the total 10,262 polling locations in the state, 1258 and 3065 had been identified as hypersensitive and sensitive, respectively. It has been decided that polling locations with single/double polling stations would be provided three or four security personnel led by a head constable.

Polling locations having three, four, five, six and above booths would be provided 5, 6, 7 and 9 police personnel security led by a non-gazetted officer. Besides this, polling locations having three or more polling stations as well as sensitive ones would be provided at least half a section of PMF, while hyper sensitive polling stations, besides having the security of sensitive stations, would be covered additionally with intensive patrolling.

While giving the details of security provided to the candidates, the DGP said the nominees of recognised parties have been provided five security personnel in a vehicle while candidates of unrecognised party and independents two gunmen each.

The DGP said to meet any emergency situation without any delay, three companies have been kept reserved and ready to be sent to places on the direction of very senior police officers at the state headquarters. One company each is kept as reserve at the disposal of Zone IGPs, two companies each are kept as reserve at the disposal of Range DIGs, one company each at district headquarters besides one platoon each at 89 sub-divisional headquarters throughout the state.

In a separate message, the DGP exhorted the police personnel to perform their duties impartially, efficiently, objectively and transparently to ensure smooth, fair and peaceful elections in the state.

While directing them to be strict to ensure safety for all and smooth process of the polling, the DGP exuded confidence that they would rise to the occasion by ensuring that the democratic process was held in an orderly and fair manner.

UNI