E-Paper
Delhi Assembly Elections 2020| Delhi Police tighten security across Capital before polling
The movement of the EVMs will be under the tight vigil of the CAPF companies who will also provide security in the polling booths.
Security has been heightened in Delhi ahead of the assembly elections which is scheduled to begin at 8 am and will end at 6 pm on Saturday.Around 40,000 security personnel, 19,000 home guards, and 190 companies of Central Armed Police Forces will be installed to ensure smooth conduct of the first assembly elections of this decade in the capital city.
The movement of the EVMs will be under the tight vigil of the CAPF companies who will provide security in the polling booths. Specific poll duties have been assigned to the Delhi police. According to polling officials, around 19,000 home guards have been summoned to assist Delhi police from neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Uttarakhand will also be sending home guards for security purposes.
545 polling booths have been marked critical out of 2,689 booths. These booths along with 21 counting centres have been wrapped under tight scrutiny of security forces.
“Delhi Police personnel and para military forces have been deployed at critical booths so that more enforcement and better arrangement can be ensured. Patrolling has also been intensified in those localities,” said Sharat Kumar Singha, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Election Cell).
Spurred by anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh, campaigning for Delhi polls took a divisive turn with the election commission sending notices to several lawmakers including BJP MP Parvesh Verma, MoS for Finance Ministry Anurag Thakur, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. The latter was the latest to receive a show cause notice from the election commission over a video posted on his Twitter handle.
BJP lawmaker and UP CM Yogi Adityanath had been served notice after he made a remark regarding ‘biryani’ and how the Delhi CM was supplying it to anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh.
BJP MP Parvesh Verma and MoS for Finance Ministry Anurag Thakur had served 4 day and 3 day campaign bans over their remarks.
The AAP party campaigned aggressively citing that they brought reforms in the education and healthcare sectors. The BJP in its campaign attacked the AAP for inaction over the anti-CAA protests and took credit for development in the unauthorised colonies. Congress has promised to bring better reforms but their intensity of campaigning ahead of the polls was comparatively lower than AAP and BJP.
Meanwhile, police are ensuring that security of EVMs are maintained around critical booths and counting centres. Police said that static surveillance teams and flying squads are carrying checks in vulnerable areas to curb attempts of influencing voters by muscle power, money or any other means.
Borders are under tight picketing to check the passage of transportation of illicit liquor and other contraband. Police said that all border areas will be kept under strict vigilance by constant coordination with counterparts of NCR police.
Police will also patrol the waters of the Yamuna, according to a senior Delhi police official.
Since the enforcement of MCC, Delhi Police has confiscated 99,210 litres of illicit liquor, with a market value of Rs 2.72 crore and 774.1 kg drugs with a market value of Rs 4.91 crore.
Illegal weapons and firearms have been recovered by the Delhi police. Police said, 504 illegal fire-arms and 730 rounds of ammunition have been recovered. More than 7,300 licensed weapons have been deposited to prevent any untoward incidents.
Police have requested citizens of the capital to share any incidents, messages or objectionable content to the authorities if they are violating the election norms.
Police also said that around 7,800 people have been booked under the Excise Act. Over a lakh people have been booked under the DP Act.
(With inputs from PTI)
