Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 20: All 330 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), allocated to Jammu and Kashmir for election duty, have been shifted to Kashmir while over 10,000 police personnel have been dispatched to the Valley from here as battle of ballots shift to the militancy infested three Parliamentary seats of Kashmir after completion of process on two seats of Jammu region.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also issued a fresh directive to the Border Security Force (BSF) to keep strict vigil along the International Border as there were reports that militants could try to disrupt remaining phases of Lok Sabha elections after successful completion of electoral process so far.
“Despite terror attack at Hiranagar on March 28, 2014, the militants have failed to disturb the election process in any part of the country including Jammu and Kashmir, where focus of the militants was very high,” official sources told the Excelsior adding the Home Ministry has asked the BSF to effectively guard the border and check the activities of anti-national and anti-social elements, who could try to disturb the ongoing peaceful electoral process.
Jammu and Kashmir shares a large International Boundary with Pakistan right from Kathua district to Akhnoor and there had been reports that the militants were sitting on Pakistan side of the IB with a view to infiltrate and carry out March 28 like attack. The electoral process on two seats of Jammu region including Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda was completed successfully on April 17.
Sources said all 330 companies of CAPFs, which the MHA had kept at the disposal of Jammu and Kashmir, have been shifted to the Kashmir though some of them were on way to the Valley. The para-military companies have taken positions in most parts of Anantnag-Pulwama Lok Sabha seat while the deployment would be complete by April 22, two days ahead of the polling on April 24.
“Some of the CAPFs were being deployed in advance in Srinagar-Budgam and Baramulla-Kupwara Lok Sabha seats while in Ladakh, the para-military personnel would be deputed after the completion of electoral process in Srinagar constituency on April 30,” sources said.
Apart from the CAPFs, over 10,000 police personnel from Jammu region have been sent to the Kashmir Valley on election duty for remaining three phases of elections in the State. The police personnel would be deployed along with CAPFs on election duty at polling booths and vulnerable areas,” sources said.
Anantnag-Pulwama would be first Lok Sabha seat in Kashmir to go to polls in the Valley on April 24 while Srinagar-Budgam Parliamentary seat would have polling on April 30. Baramulla-Kupwara and Ladakh seats would go to polling in fifth and final phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir on May 7.
Admitting that authorities required tight security arrangement for peaceful elections, sources said not only the election dates but the time prior to the polls was also very crucial especially in the wake of the killing of a Sarpanch and some other terror related incidents due to which security arrangements have been further stepped-up.
Sources said the Union Home Ministry has issued a directive asking frontier guarding forces Border Security Force and Sashastra Seema Bal to keep strict vigil along the Indo-Pak, Indo-Bangla and Indo-Nepal borders to ensure peace and to check anti-social activities ahead of Lok Sabha elections from April 24.
“Order has been issued to check trans-border crimes, smuggling of narcotics, fake Indian currency notes through effective domination of the border by carrying out round-the- clock surveillance,” a Home Ministry official said.
The riverine segments of the border have to be patrolled through enhanced deployment of watercraft, speed boats and floating BOP, the official said.
Over 170 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Assam and Gujarat — the States which share an International Border with either Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh — will go to polls in the last four phases.
India shares a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh, 3,323-km border (including LoC) with Pakistan, and 1,751-km border with Nepal.
According to Home Ministry statistics, along the Indo-Pak border in 2011, fake currency notes of Rs 4.4 lakh face value, 75-kg narcotics and 15 arms were seized. In 2012, fake notes of Rs 4.6 lakh face value, 290-kg narcotics and 23 arms were seized while last year, fake notes of Rs 5.2 lakh face value, 360-kg narcotics and 37 arms were recovered.
Along the Indo-Bangla border, fake currency notes of Rs 4.4 lakh face value, 8,598-kg narcotics and 45 arms were seized in 2011 while in 2012, the seized items were fake notes of Rs 5.5 face value, 2,863-kg narcotics and 34 arms. Last year, security forces seized fake notes of Rs 5.8 lakh face value, 4,690-kg narcotics and 47 arms.
In 2011, along the Indo-Nepal border, 12,405-kg narcotics was seized and 1,104 people were arrested. In 2012, 8,448-kg narcotics was seized and 410 people arrested while 9,640-kg narcotics was seized and 567 people arrested last year.
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