DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

With polling for 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab scheduled to be held in the last phase of voting on June 1, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Sunday said the state police is fully geared up to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in the border state.

Yadav, accompanied by Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla, was virtually briefing all the senior police officers from headquarters, Additional DGPs, Inspector Generals of Police, DIGs, Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police to take stock of the security arrangements in the state for the general elections, said an official statement.

The Director General of Police (DGP) directed all the officers to strictly adhere to all aspects of the Model Code of Conduct and follow all the instructions and guidelines from the Election Commission of India for holding free and fair elections.

He said that a special campaign has been launched to arrest proclaimed offenders and parole jumpers.

The Commissioners of Police (CPs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) have also been asked to ensure surveillance over the people indulging in selling of illicit liquor and narcotics and psychotropic substances, he added.

The DGP also directed the CPs and SSPs to ensure the deposition of weapons in compliance with the Election Commission of India (ECI) norms.

The Special DGP (law and order) said that security has been strengthened across the state and field officers have been asked to carry out audit of police force and muster 75 per cent of the police force for deployment during the elections.

All the CPs and SSPs have already been asked to keep vigil around the anti-social elements and carry out flag marches in their jurisdictions to build confidence among the general public, Shukla added.

He said the checking at inter-state borders has been intensified to check the movement of criminals, bootleggers and drug smugglers.

Shukla said 25 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been deployed in vulnerable districts of the state to instil confidence among the general public as well as to dominate sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas in the state. He added the 25 companies include five of the Central Reserved Police Forces (CRPF), 15 of the Border Security Force (BSF) and five of the Indo-Tibetan Border

Police (ITBP).

He further said that all police officers have also been circulated the guidelines issued by the ECI.
(editor@dailyworld.in)