Bengaluru: The police have made elaborate security arrangements across the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due on April 18 and 23. As many as 90,997 police personnel have been deployed at 58,225 polling booth across the state. There is extra security at 11,992 polling booths, which have been identified as sensitive.
At a press conference state DG & IGP Neelmani N. Raju said, "With only a day left for the first phase of voting in the state, the police have made elaborate security arrangements and policemen have already taken guard at critical pooling booths to avert any untoward incident. The state has been free from naxal activities for last eight years. Though last year there were some sightings of naxals in the districts of Chikkamagaluru, Udupi and Kodagu, but no untoward incident has been reported."
In order to provide security to all the 58,225 booths in the state, a total 90,997 officers and men were required. Since the state had only 49,476 civil police available for poll duty, 40,117 home guards and civil defence personnel, 414 jail wardens and 990 forest guards have been deputed for the poll duty, she added.
As many as 10 Central Armed Police Forces were provided to the state, out of which five each were deployed in Phase - l and Phase - ll areas.
As many as 55 and 57 Companies of Central Armed Police Forces will be deployed for Phase I and Phase II respectively, are being deployed at Critical Cluster booths and area domination in vulnerable areas.
ADGP Kamal Pant said that in order to keep anti-social elements, rowdies and trouble makers under check, 44,844 cases were invoked under preventive sections against 47,427 persons.
As a preventive action out of 98,055 licenced arms in the state, 95,422 have been deposited with police, while the rest are exempted by the District Authorities. Besides, 12,621 people have been identified as intimidators.
A total of 1,594 cases have been booked under Kamataka Excise Act with total seizures of 11,220 litres of liquor by the police. A total of Rs 15,72,17,6l6 in cash, 23,248 litres of liquor, 312 kg of gold, 43.85 kg of silver along with other items worth Rs 38 lakh have been seized by Static Check Posts.
Based on complaints by Static Surveillance Teams a total of 55 FIRs were registered by the jurisdictional police and 1,697 FIRs have been registered related to seizures.
