Three-tier Security Cordon at Counting Centres in Bengal on June 4

There will be a three-tier security layer in and around counting centres in West Bengal on June 4.

Sources in the office of West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said the inner-tier of security at the counting centres will be managed only by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel and one company of the CAPF will be deployed at each centre.

The second and third tier of the security layer will be managed by the state police forces which will also include personnel from the armed forces.

“Apart from that, Section 144 will be imposed in a radius of 200 metres. Most importantly, CCTVs will be installed at each counting centre including the counting halls. The footage of these CCTV cameras will be preserved for the purpose of probing possible counting-related irregularities,” the source said.

The security has been beefed up as some political parties have expressed apprehensions over the possibility of counting-related irregularities.

The BJP has demanded that only permanent state government employees covered under the Provident Fund and pension structure should be assigned counting-related duties and not temporary staff.

According to the BJP’s state General Secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay, “In the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls there were several complaints of counting-related irregularities. We are getting information about plans to engage temporary staff who will be provided with state government identity cards. So we have demanded that only permanent state government employees covered under PF structure should be assigned counting duties.”