PM apprehends attempts to disrupt 2014 elections by terrorists, calls for heightened vigil

NEW DELHI :  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today apprehended that attempts would be made to disrupt the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and asked security forces to be careful.
Addressing Directors General and Inspectors General of Police  from all over the country at Vigyan Bhavan here, the Prime Minister said the resurgence of terrorist groups, particularly  LeT, and increased infiltration attempts called for heightened vigil and coordination.
“There is also a likelihood of attempts to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The security forces need to be careful,” the Prime Minister said in his address at the DGPs/IGPs Conference here on the concluding day of the three-day meet.
He also stressed the need to improve the quality of governance and the pace of development in the Naxal-affected areas and said it was important not to allow any let up in efforts to root out the menace of Naxalism and continue to build on successes.
Referring to the “misuse of social media and SMSes” to fan violence during the recent disturbances in Muzaffarnagar, and also last year, Dr Singh called for finding creative solutions which do not curb the freedom of expression and the ease of communication that social media provides.
He also told the State DGPs to ensure that their police forces acted in the required manner in preventing communal actions.
Asking the top Police brass to tackle disturbances with “utmost firmness, without prejudice, fear or favour,” the Prime Minister said law and order agencies must ensure that trivial or local issues were not exploited by vested interests to inflame communal passions.
“A major communal clash in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining districts of UP in September took a large toll of lives and displaced thousands of people,” Dr Singh said and added that during the current year, some States had witnessed a substantial increase in the number of communal incidents.
He also commended the intelligence, police, para-military forces for having done commendable work during polls in the naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh.
While congratulating the Intelligence Bureau (IB), he said It was the intelligence gathered by IB that had led to the arrest of some suspects of several terror attacks.
“I am very happy that the Intelligence Bureau, or IB as it is commonly called, has achieved some major successes in this special year,” the Prime Minister said. (AGENCIES)

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