Security measures for Assam Assembly polls completed

Guwahati, Mar 30: Altogether 35,000 personnel of various security forces have come to Assam to assist 9,600 jawans in the state to ensure law and order during the two-phase Assembly polls on April 4 and 11.

The forces would be deployed in different areas of the 126 constituencies in the state, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, M C Sahu told reporters here today.

Two helicopters have also been kept ready to meet any emergency, he said.

For the first time SMS-based poll monitoring system would be implemented through which the state election commission would be informed about activities in polling stations, he said.

In the first phase, where polling will be held in 62 seats, 1,350 booths would be covered by cameras, both video and still, while in the second phase covering the remaining constituencies, 1,148 booths would come under such scanner, he said.

Sahu said while 117 violent incidents occurred in the run-up to the poll, 4562 non-bailable warrants had been issued.

Police seized 102 unlicensed arms and recovered 3,282 cartridges, 297 detonators and 13 grenades. A total of 6,569 licensed arms had also been deposited, Sahu said.

In the first phase of polling, out of 11,264 stations 2,093 have been declared ''hyper-sensitive'' and 2,985 ''sensitive''.

Besides, 817 villages had been identified as ''vulnerable''.

In the second phase, out of 12,589 polling stations, 2,033 have been declared ''hyper sensitive'' and 4,175 ''sensitive''. A total of 475 villages has been identified as ''vulnerable'', he added.

PTI