NEWS
VIEWS
INTERVIEWS
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
ISSUES '98
MANIFESTOS
OVERHEARD
POLLING BOOTH
INDIA SPEAKS!
YEH HAI INDIA
CHAT

Bihar requests more central forces to tackle poll violence

The Bihar government has requested the Centre to provide additional security forces to effectively counter pre-poll violence and other poll-related malpractices, particularly in the extremist-dominated zones, in view of the general election.

State home secretary Raj Kumar Singh said the Centre had allotted 120 companies of central forces against the state's demand for 3,700 companies, under instructions that they were to be used only for static deployment.

He said 10 more companies of paramilitary forces were due to arrive shortly, and added that the state government had decided to deploy the central forces at all booths in the nine militancy affected districts, besides other sensitive polling centres.

The government had also issued strict instructions to all district authorities and police officials to take all possible measures to check poll violence, beside the seizure of illegal firearms and preventive arrest of anti-social elements, he said.

Chief Election Commissioner Dr Manohar Singh Gill is scheduled to review the law and order situation in the state, during his meeting with administrative officials of central and south Bihar at Sasaram on February 6 and officials of north Bihar at Muzaffarpur the next day.

The Election Commission has also approved the deployment of Home Guards for patrol duty along with the state police.

Altogether 53,524 polling booths had been identified as hypersensitive and sensitive from a total of 82,760 booths in the state, Singh said, and added the numbers were likely to go up.

There was a marked rise in poll-related violence and other malpractices in the state in the 1991 elections, in which 56 people, including two candidates were killed. In the 1989 election, 40 lives were lost and repolling ordered in 283 booths.

Repolling in 1,933 booths was ordered in the 1966 election, while in the 1991 election repolling was held in 1,175 booths.

This time Bihar witnessed the first poll-related clash on January 28 when two groups, escorting their respective candidates for filing nominations, opened fire in Munger killing one person on the spot.

Three people sustained injuries when supporters of two political parties clashed in Siwan the next day.

The state intelligence had also expressed concern at the prevailing law and order situation and directed the district authorities to provide tight security to all the prominent political leaders.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report