KOKRAJHAR, April 22 - As Kokrajhar goes to polls tomorrow, security has been beefed up in the lower Assam districts and in entire BTAD area. Several battalions of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the entire BTAD and lower Assam districts apart from regular patrolling by police.
Checking has been intensified by the police to keep an eye on anti-social activities. The Army and SSB have been keeping a sharp eye on inter-State and 526-km-long Indo-Bhutan international border areas to check infiltration of militants during election time.
Talking to the this correspondent, Anurag Agarwal, IGP, BTAD said that all efforts have been taken to ensure peaceful and fair elections in the constituency. Adequate security arrangements have been taken in the polling stations which have been categorised as sensitive, very sensitive and critical, he said.
�We think we have optimal level of security forces in the BTAD area for the smooth conduct of the polls�, the IGP said. �We have around 50 companies of forces who would ensure elections are held peacefully and a sizeable numbers of State Armed Police (SAP) would also be involved in the process�, Agarwal added.
Round-the-clock vigil along the border areas, including the inter-State and Indo-Bhutan International border, has been activated and intensified to thwart anti-social elements from carrying out any subversive activities, he said adding that several army units are also deployed in the vulnerable localities for area domination to prevent any movement of militants while army operation has been beefed up in order to intensify operations against movements of NDFB (S) and any other militant outfit.
On the other hand, interstate exchange of security related information and cooperation has been also mounted to check possibilities of any untoward incident across the bordering State for which sufficient care has been taken and in constant touch with high level security officials along interstate borders, he said.
He further mentioned that Indo-Bhutan border has been completely sealed in view of the election process in progress. Deployment of armed forces in critical polling stations has been ordered that includes 400 critical polling stations in Kokrajhar, 158 in Chirang and 140 in Baksa districts of BTAD. At the same time he further informed that all the areas coning under Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat have been segmented in 14 zones in Kokrajhar, 7 zones in Chirang and 8 zones in Baksa, he said adding that such zones will cover as many as 87 sectors in Kokrajhar, 52 in Chirang and 91 in Baksa districts of BTAD as far as the security measures are concerned.
