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Tight security for second-phase polls in Bihar

Elaborate security arrangements have been chalked out for the nineteen Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar where polling will be held tomorrow.

Official sources said shoot-at-sight orders have been given in several districts and central paramilitary forces are conducting ''flag marches'' in the sensitive pockets to instil confidence among the voters.

The Election Commission has identified thirteen constituencies as sensitive.

State Home Secretary U N Panjiyar said 147 companies of central paramilitary forces along with over 100 companies of Bihar Military Police, 26,000 personnel of the district police and over 30,000 home guards would be deployed across the nineteen constituencies.

He said about 80 per cent of the total 29,089 booths would be provided with static armed forces, although about 60 per cent of the booths have been identified as sensitive or hyper-sensitive. The rest of the booths would be covered by ex-servicemen and other security personnel while patrolling parties would provide security in these booths from time to time.

The country's borders with Nepal and other inter-state borders would be sealed to prevent the movement of anti-social elements.

The state home secretary said four companies of the elite Rapid Action Force has been kept as stand-by in case of any emergency.

The state government is monitoring the situation in some pockets in Buxar and Bhojpur districts where Naxalites have called a ''poll boycott'' and pasted posters threatening that they would disrupt the poll process.

In the first phase of polling in the state on September 18, at least 38 people, mostly security personnel, were killed in several incidents of land mine blast in Palamau, Hazaribagh, Chatra and Rohtas districts.

The Election Commission has identified Motihari, Gopalganj, Siwan, Maharajganj, Hajipur (sc), Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Barh, Begusarai, Nalanda, Patna and Arrah parliamentary constituencies as sensitive.

UNI

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