NEW DELHI: As many as 500 companies of central armed police forces (CAPFs) will stay deployed in Bengal for post-poll law and order duties after the poll results are out, “till further orders of the Election Commission“, EC said on Friday.Each CAPF company comprises 80-100 personnel. A total 2,400 CAPF companies have been assigned for poll deployment in Bengal and 1,700 will leave the state after polling gets over on April 29.EC officials said besides the 500 companies that will stay back to maintain law and order “long after the results”, another 200 will be retained “till counting is completed”, to secure the EVM strong-rooms and counting centres.
‘Step Taken To Prevent Post-Poll Violence In State’
On Friday, CEC Gyanesh Kumar also directed the state chief secretary, DGP and senior state administration and police officials to ensure elections where citizens vote without fear and which are free of violence, intimidation, inducement, chaapa (voter impersonation), booth jamming and source jamming”.Sources said EC decided to extend the stay of 500 companies of central forces till after the elections, in view of the state’s history of post-poll violence. As per an NHRC probe into post-poll violence in Bengal after the 2021 assembly election, the state DGP had reported 1,970 complaints of violence between May 2, 2021 and June 20, 2021.While 29 complaints related to murder, 12 involved sexual assault; 391 grievous hurt, 940 arson/vandalism and 562 criminal intimidation. Only 1,168 complaints were converted into FIRs and 1,345 of total 9,304 accused arrested. NHRC’s own spot inquiries at 311 places found that FIR was not registered in 60% of the places. NHRC observed that “the spatio-temporal expanse of violent incidents… with little efforts of state to prevent or control or rectify the same is actually a larger picture of organised violence by supporters of the ruling party in retribution against persons who dared to support the other major party which lost the recent (2021) assembly elections”. Though polls in Bengal shall be completed on May 6, that any post-poll violence has a direct correlation with elections, makes EC stakeholder, said a commission official. Even after the winning party forms govt in Bengal, it may have to write to EC or Union home ministry to withdraw the forces. The latter may turn to EC for clearance given that the post-poll deployment is “till further orders of the EC”. In yet another move on Thursday, EC took serious note of the deployment of 2,185 police personnel by WB govt prior to announcement of polls for “providing security to 832 TMC personnel and 144 others, including TMC supporters”. It ordered DGP to conduct a strict professional review within two-three days, redistributing the security personnel across functionaries/supporters of all parties in an equitable manner. EC Thursday also suspended and ordered action against joint BDO and assistant RO of Khandaghosh assembly constituency, “for openly canvassing for TMC”. An EC source said WB govt had resorted to large-scale transfers ahead of start of SIR in the state on Oct 27, 2025, shifting out 1,370 officers, including 97 from IAS, 146 from IPS, 1,080 from WB Civil Service and 47 from WB Police.
