rediff.com: Security blanket over Bihar for panchayat poll

Amid shoot-at-sight orders and the sealing of the Indo-Nepal border, the stage is set for holding from Wednesday the first phase of the panchayat elections in Bihar after a gap of 23 years.

District magistrates have issued shoot-at-sight orders against those who try to capture booths or loot ballots and ballot boxes or disturb polling in any way, official sources said.

Director General of Police R R Prasad said the Bihar government had procured 15,000 rifles from neighbouring states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal to arm policemen to man the booths.

He said armed policemen would be deployed at all polling buildings while patrolling would be intensified to ensure free and fair elections.

He said the Indo-Nepal border connecting Bihar's East and West Champaran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Purnea, Araria and Kishenganj districts had already been sealed to prevent the entry of anti-social elements.

In view of the poll boycott call of ultra-left outfits in the Naxal-hit districts of central Bihar, Prasad said the help of existing companies of central paramilitary forces, besides the state police, was being taken to intensify patrolling.

He said that while Jehanabad, Patna and Gaya had two companies each of the Central Reserve Police Force, Bhojpur, Aurangabad and Nawada would have one company each.

Stating that the state police had taken several preventive steps to ensure peaceful and fair polling, Prasad said 1,731 panchayats spread over 113 blocks in Bihar would go to the polls in the first phase for which the administration had set up 23,972 booths.

He said the state police had so far arrested 40,368 persons against whom cases of different offences were pending and attached property in 408 cases. Besides, 22 mini-gun factories had been unearthed and 546 firearms seized during the month-long drive as part of preventive measures.

Around 37 people had lost their lives during the run-up to the panchayat polls. Prasad said all policemen would have life insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million) each during the polls.


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