11,000 police personnel to be deployed on voting day

Bangalore Karnataka Election: 14/04/2014 : Raghavendra H Auradkar, police commissioner of bangalore (right), BBMP Commissioner Lakshminarayana (2nd right) at the Joint press meet by BBMP and Police on the election work done. Also seen from left: B.B.Cauvery, RO Bangalore Central, Trilok Chandra RO, South Bangalore, Niranjan, Special Officer, Election. Photo: K.Gopinathan

To ensure fair and peaceful elections on April 17, at least 11,000 police personnel and 1,000 civil defence wardens will be deployed across the city.

Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar told reporters on Monday that the city police will be responsible for 6,823 polling booths in Bangalore South, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore Rural and Chikkaballapur constituencies.

Mr Auradkar said a civil defence personnel or a constable would be deployed in 3,418 booths classified as normal. Two police personnel each will be posted in 1,361 booths classified as hyper-sensitive and one each in the 2,044 booths termed sensitive.

In addition, 75 platoons from among central forces and Karnataka State Reserve Police will be deployed. There would be mobile squads as well, each of which would cover 17 booths. The polls will be monitored using 1,075 CCTV cameras.

Mr Auradkar said that efforts are being made to ensure that people from low economic pockets are not exploited.

Cash, property seized

The police commissioner said that about Rs. 1.48 crore in cash and property worth Rs 2.56 crore has been seized. The property includes vehicles, dress material, bed sheets, oil, wall clocks, rice bags, pamphlets, banners and buntings. As many as 116 cases related to elections had been registered and 124 people had been arrested in connection with these cases. The city police have executed 3,184 non-bailable warrants during the course of the campaign.

Out of 7,402 weapons in private hands, about 5,930 were deposited with authorities after the model code of conduct came into place.