Kolkata: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued directives to deploy a total of 2,400 companies of central forces to ensure free and peaceful elections in West Bengal. An MHA notification issued on March 19 stated that a total of 2,400 companies—comprising the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), State Armed Police (SAP), and India Reserve Battalions (IRBn)—will be deployed across the state.
Initially, on February 20, the MHA had ordered the deployment of 480 companies of central forces. This contingent included 230 companies from the CRPF, 120 from the BSF, 37 from the CISF, 47 from the ITBP, and 46 from the SSB. This large detachment of forces was deployed to conduct route marches, instill confidence among the public, secure Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and strong rooms, and ensure security at counting centers.
On March 17, the Election Commission decided to dispatch an additional 1,920 companies of forces. Consequently, the total number of deployed forces has now reached 2,400 companies. These additional 1,920 companies will arrive in the state in five phases, drawn from various parts of the country. In the first phase, 300 companies are scheduled to arrive on March 31. This contingent comprises 125 companies from the CRPF, 100 from the BSF, 25 from the CISF, and 25 each from the ITBP and the SSB.
In the second phase, another 300 companies of security forces are scheduled to arrive on April 7. Forces for this phase will be dispatched from Jammu & Kashmir and Tripura. In the third phase, 300 more companies will arrive on April 10, drawn from Manipur in addition to Jammu & Kashmir. In the fourth phase, 277 companies of security forces are scheduled to arrive on April 13 from Assam, Haryana, and Uttarakhand. In the fifth phase, 743 companies will arrive in Bengal on April 17. Of these, 443 companies of the CAPF will come from Assam, while 300 companies will arrive from Kerala, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Chandigarh, Punjab, and Rajasthan.
Shalabh Mathur, the Sector IG of the CRPF in West Bengal, has been appointed as the ‘State Force Coordinator’ to oversee the deployment of these forces. Each company will consist of at least 72 personnel. Of the nine sections within a company, eight will be deployed at polling stations, while one section will function as a Quick Response Team (QRT) to assist with supervisory duties.
Following consultations with the Railway Board, a decision has been taken to arrange special trains to facilitate the movement of these forces. On the other hand, the State Government has been directed to make adequate arrangements for the transportation, accommodation, food, and logistics of the forces deployed here.
Even after voting concludes on April 29, approximately 200 companies will remain in the state to secure EVMs, strong rooms, and counting centers. Meanwhile, another 500 companies will stay back to maintain law and order during the post-counting period. The remaining companies will return immediately after the voting process is completed. Voting in the state is scheduled to take place in two phases, on April 23 and 26. It is worth noting that violence had erupted following the declaration of results in the previous assembly elections.
According to the official notification, a report regarding the movement of security forces must be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Election Commission (EC) daily by 10:00 AM.
