The Special Task Force in Tamil Nadu has been put on high alert along 13 districts bordering Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) K. Radhakrishnan said the STF has been sensitised of the possibility of extremist elements trying to intrude into the State with a sinister design.
“With the police force focused on election bandobust, it was imperative to mount surveillance along the borders. We have also asked the Coastal Security Group to step up vigil along the shoreline in coastal districts,” he told The Hindu here on Monday.
Mr. Radhakrishnan said the intelligence machinery had been geared up in connection with the election and VVIP security. As per the Election Commission's guidelines, all the 54,000 odd polling stations in the State were considered as “critical” and Central Para-Military Forces would be deployed to man them.
More forces sought
He said that the State had asked for 100 more companies of CPMF.
“So far 200 companies have been earmarked for election security in Tamil Nadu. Since we have to deploy mobile parties comprising CPMF personnel to cover all the 54,000 polling stations, we have asked for additional forces,” he said.
Going by the allotted manpower, CPMFs could be deployed only in 75 per cent of the 5,000 plus mobile teams. “Though the EC has suggested that we deploy companies of the Tamil Nadu Special Police, we have emphasised the need for more central forces,” Mr. Radhakrishnan said.
In a separate development, the Election Commission had issued instructions that police personnel deployed for election security at polling booths in one police station limit should be shifted at random to other police stations to cover polling booths there, police sources said.
“We have polling stations at 29,909 locations across the State and at least an equal number of police personnel have to be shifted as part of the randomisation exercise. Police may find it difficult in the districts as the topography, local issues and sensitivity of the polling booths differ,” a senior police official added.
