West Bengal SEC Urgently Seeks 800 Companies Of Central Forces For Panchayat Polls Following Court's Orders

In response to a directive from the Calcutta High Court, the West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) has formally requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to deploy 800 companies of central forces for the upcoming panchayat polls. State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha personally reached out to the Centre, highlighting the crucial need for additional security measures during the electoral process. A single company of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) typically consists of around one hundred personnel, as PTI reported.

The high court's intervention came after a contempt petition was heard, leading to its order on Wednesday that demanded the requisition of more than 82,000 central forces personnel within a stringent 24-hour deadline. The court expressed concern over the SEC's decision to only requisition 22 companies of central forces for the July 8 elections, which is significantly lower than the 82,000 central policemen deployed during the 2013 panchayat polls in the state. The court emphasized that the number of districts in West Bengal has increased from 17 in 2013 to the present count of 22, and the electorate has also grown over the past decade. Consequently, the court directed the SEC to urgently requisition the required central forces personnel within the given timeframe.

Furthermore, the court admonished the state election commissioner, suggesting that if he found it challenging to follow court orders, he should consider stepping down from his position. Prior to this, on June 13, the high court had directed the SEC to requisition central forces for deployment in districts identified as sensitive, while also instructing an assessment of the situation in other districts to deploy forces accordingly.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the delay in complying with its previous order, the court issued a fresh directive on June 15, mandating the deployment of central forces across all districts. In response, both the SEC and the state government approached the Supreme Court, seeking relief against the high court's orders. Unfortunately for them, the apex court dismissed their petitions, thereby upholding the decision of the high court.