Haryana gets 30 additional companies of security forces to maintain law and order during polls

CHANDIGARH: Haryana has got 30 additional companies of security forces including 10 each from Rajasthan and Punjab to better maintain law and order during the Lok Sabha polls in the state. With additional deployment, the total number of paramilitary and other forces in the state went up to 95 companies.
Additional director general of police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh Virk said that we have made a strong representation to the Centre for allotment of more Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).Considering our request, ministry of home affairs allocated additional 10 companies of CAPF whereas 10 companies each were given by Rajasthan and Punjab Police. “With the 95 companies of security forces, we are now very confident, comfortable and fully prepared to hold a single-day election in a free, fair and peaceful manner,” he added.
Virk said that DGP Manoj Yadava and other senior police officers had already visited the districts on May 4 and 5 to review the poll arrangements there. We are in constant touch with our counterparts in the neighbouring states and inter-state checkpoints of the state will be completely sealed. As a precautionary measure, we have also sought deployment of maximum force from neighbouring states in their territory to ensure sealing of inter-state borders before the election.
He said that police are closely monitoring the sensitive and hypersensitive polling locations in the state. Based on the intelligence and other inputs, deployment of extra forces was being made in Sonipat, Jhajjar, Jind, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Hisar, Hansi and Sirsa.
Referring to the safety of EVMs, Virk said that a three-tier security arrangement has been made to all centres storing EVMs after the polling. All EVMs will be brought and stored in 38 counting centres across the State which will be manned by 7 companies of CAPF, personnel of State Armed Police and district Police.