At least 10,000 police personnel have been roped in from the neighbouring Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for security arrangements in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu. The armed guards will be deployed at about 3,000 places identified as “vulnerable” locations across the State before the April 19 polling.
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The Director-General of Police & Head of Police Force Shankar Jiwal told The Hindu on Thursday that the police personnel were being pooled in for deployment as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. This would be a reciprocating measure where the State would send an equal number of police teams to the neighbouring States ahead of their respective polling dates.
The manpower from other States would be in addition to the 1.25 lakh plus police force of Tamil Nadu, hundreds of Home Guards and Ex-servicemen and 190 companies of Central Armed Police Force personnel already deployed. While implementing the deployment and other bandobust guidelines of the ECI, the focus was also on providing VVIP security during the campaign.
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Mr. Jiwal said there were about 240 VIPs who were protected under various scales of security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were among those VIPs who required protection with Advance Security Liaison with various law-enforcing and intelligence agencies.
“Senior police officers are in close contact with organisers of political road shows, rallies, meetings etc to ensure security protocols and other guidelines prescribed by the Varma Commission and Indu Malhotra Commission. Venues of such events are declared no-fly zones and operating drones is also not allowed,” he said.
Weapons deposited
Additional Director-General of Police and State Police Nodal Officer Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal said that 17,583 licenced weapons were deposited with the police ahead of the elections. Exemption was given to weapons used for security or sports purposes. In the 3,000 vulnerable locations that had a history of poll-related violence, additional manpower was deployed and more than 4,000 persons who had criminal antecedents were bound over under security sections.
At the State level, more than 17,000 persons identified by the police as potential trouble mongers were bound over under the provisions of law. The Tamil Nadu police were coordinating with their counterpart in bordering States to strengthen surveillance and security along the borders and checkposts, he said.