A team of personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force, has been provided for Tiruchi district for election-related bandobust duty in connection with the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled on April 19.
A fully equipped RAF team from the 105th Battalion at Coimbatore arrived in Tiruchi a few days ago and has been stationed on the District Armed Reserve premises of Tiruchi Rural Police here. The RAF team consisting of around 85 personnel headed by a senior officer in the rank of an Assistant Commandant is to be engaged for poll-related bandobust duty in the vast areas falling under the limits of the Tiruchi Rural Police, said police sources.
Tiiruchi Rural Police has under its jurisdiction part of Tiruverumbur Assembly segment and Lalgudi, Musiri, Manachanallur, Thuraiyur (reserved) and Manapparai Assembly constituencies.
Police sources said the RAF team would be deployed at the check posts falling under the jurisdiction of Tiruchi Rural Police and at the identified “vulnerable” booths on the day of polling. The Tiruchi Rural Police has planned to engage over 1,700 of its personnel for election duty besides drawing members of Home Guards on polling day.
A Central Armed Police Force team, which arrived in Tiruchi recently, is being engaged by Tiruchi City Police at the nine check posts falling under its jurisdiction. They were also being attached with Flying Squads and Static Surveillance Teams constituted to check poll code violations ahead of the elections.
In order to augment its manpower, Tiruchi Rural Police have appealed to ex-military personnel and former police, forest and prison department personnel to approach the nearest police station or contact the Tiruchi Rural Police election control room to express their willingness for election-related duty from April 17 to 19.
Police Observer
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has appointed senior IPS officer Amit Kumar Viswakarma as Police Observer for Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency. The constituency consists of Tiruchi East, Tiruchi West, major portions of Tiruverumbur and Srirangam Assembly segments, besides Pudukottai and Gandarvakottai Assembly segments.
