Senior cops with experience in crisis-handling on election duty
The authorities in Kashmir have rushed top security experts to the poll-bound Budgam district to avoid a face-off between protesters and security forces.
Senior police officials, who have dealt with severe law and order problems in the recent past, have been sent to Budgam, where re polling at 38 polling stations will take place on April 13.
In view of the record-low voting participation of 7.14 per cent in the Srinagar parliamentary byelection amid killing of seven civilian protesters in Budgam and one in Ganderbal, the Election Commission of India announced repolling in Budgam district. The ECI also deferred the April 12 byelection in Anantnag parliamentary constituency to May 25.
“Police officers, who are good at policing, have been called from across Kashmir to Budgam. The government has deputed them to examine the situation properly and deal with it effectively,” said SP, Sopore, Harmeet Singh, who has been asked to handle the security of eight polling stations in Budgam.
The government has entrusted SP, Srinagar, Imtiyaz Parray with the security of 16 polling stations in Chadoora and SP, Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani with the security of eight polling stations in Charar-i-Sharief. Additional SP, Baramulla, Shafaqat Hussain has to secure five polling stations in the Beerwah Assembly constituency.
Like Harmeet Singh, most of the other officials deputed in Budgam for poll security had worked in the district at different posts in the past.
Officials said nearly two dozen DSPs had also been rushed to Budgam from different places of Kashmir to work in a coordinated manner with their seniors to ensure smooth polling.
High-level security arrangements had also been put in place in Budgam for the re polling, they said.
