Deploy Central forces at every polling booth during West Bengal panchayat polls : Calcutta HC

West Bengal DGP Manoj Malaviya said the State’s law and order is under control and police are taking prompt action to check stray incidents of violence in the run-up to the July 8 Panchayat polls

The Calcutta High Court on July 4 directed that Central forces be deployed at every polling booth during the West Bengal panchayat election.

“Inspector General of BSF who has been appointed ‘Force Coordinator’ may issue appropriate directions so that the deployment of the Central forces can cover all polling stations in the State,” a Division Bench of Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya said.

Also read: West Bengal panchayat polls 2023 | Unceasing violence and political muscle flexing

 The Bench, while hearing a petition filed by State government employees, said that the deployment of the force shall be for the entire election process till the declaration of the results.

The order assumes significance as questions were being raised whether the Central forces will man all the 61,636 booths. The Ministry of Home Affairs has deployed 822 companies of Central forces for the panchayat polls scheduled on July 8. 

 The court was informed by the counsel of the State Election Commission that there may be a technical difficulty in deploying Central forces to all the polling stations “as it appears that there is a norm fixed by the Central forces that the group cannot be split to a number of less than four”.

 The Bench pointed out that considering the “extraordinary situation which led to issuance of direction for deployment of Central forces”, necessary relaxation could be made with regard to the number of personnel to be deployed to each of the polling stations.