Security tightened for Meghalaya polls

SHILLONG, FEB 21: Security throughout poll-bound Meghalaya has been beefed up in view of the 36-hour bandh called by the HNLC in the seven districts of the Khasi and Jaintia hills with the deployment of 91 companies of paramilitary forces throughout the state. The Border Security Force (BSF) has also been asked to seal the 498-kilometre long border the state shares with Bangladesh to prevent anti-national elements from creating any problem during polling on Saturday.

Even though the government maintained that it was unable to confirm if the proscribed Khasi militant outfit had indeed called the bandh from tomorrow onwards or it was only a rumour, it was taking no chances and was pulling all the available resources together to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections. “We have not been able to confirm whether it (read bandh) has come from the HNLC or it is a rumour… The government is putting all security machineries in place to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections,” acting Meghalaya chief secretary Barkos Warjri told reporters here on Thursday after meeting representatives of all the political parties.

Only 1213 out of the 2485 polling booths in the state have been identified as normal, while the rest have either been categorized as sensitive or hypersensitive. The acting CS said sufficient number of forces will be deployed in all the polling stations.  “We will deploy paramilitary forces in full strength in all the polling stations with militancy threat and only half that number in those polling stations where militancy do not pose a threat,” said Warjri. As many as 44 out of the 91 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed in the militancy-hit Garo Hills

Warjri said mobile squads and strike forces will also be deployed in all the polling stations on the day of voting. “While the strike force will be available to react quickly in case of any incidents within their assigned areas of operation, the mobile squads will be moving around to see that things are under control,” he said, adding that polling officials will be provided security right from the time they move out to their assigned stations till the EVMs are safely deposited in the strong-room.

The BSF has also been asked to completely seal the 498 km-long border with Bangladesh and deploy about 10,000 personnel to prevent infiltration of anti-national elements from across the border. “The BSF has put all the BOPs (border outposts) along the Indo-Bangladesh border on maximum alert. They have also requested their counterparts from Bangladesh to step up vigilance to ensure that nobody is allowed to infiltrate into Meghalaya,” said Meghalaya director general of police (DGP) Prem Singh.

The BSF, Singh said, has gone to the extent of ensuring all their officers are stationed in their respective BOPs to ensure proper and effective monitoring rather than sit in their headquarters in Shillong and Tura. (By Our Reporter)