Heavy security in place at counting centres

With the Capital eagerly awaiting its next government, the Delhi Election Commission is all geared up to count the votes polled.

The Commission claims to have put all necessary measures in place at the 14 counting centres.

The centres, spread across nine districts, will be guarded by the Central paramilitary forces and the Delhi Police. Under heavy security cover, Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) from 11,993 polling stations were brought to these centres within hours of the end of polling on Wednesday.

Explaining the security deployment, a senior police officer said round-the-clock security has been provided in and around the centres.

“About 25 men of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and two platoons of the local police will be deployed at each EVM counting centre. The local police contingent will have an inspector rank officer, two sub-inspectors, five head constables and 15 constables,” said the officer.

He added that an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) will be in-charge of the security at the counting centres and the Deputy Commissioner of Police of the district where the counting centre is located will monitor the situation.

The CAPF platoon, working in three shifts of eight hours each will guard the ‘inner cordon’, which includes the ‘strongrooms’ where the EVMs have been stored.

CCTV surveillance

Election Commission officials said these strongrooms will be under CCTV surveillance and access to them will be restricted to officials and security staff.

Police officers also said the security arrangements will be further beefed up on December 8, the date of counting.

“The number of security personnel that have been deployed for the protection of the counting centres will be more than doubled than what it is now. There may be two ACPs supervising the security at these centres,” said the officers.