LS polls: Multi-layer security in place along international borders with 8 N-E states

Imphal/Aizawl, March 27: A multi-tier security arrangement has been put in place along the 5437-km long international borders with eight northeastern states to foil any cross-border illegal activities before and during the Lok Sabha elections.

Top Army, BSF and Assam Rifles officials are frequently visiting the bordering areas and sensitising their troops deployed along the international fenced and unfenced bordering areas.

Election and security officials separately said that massive security measures are being taken along the 1,643-km long border with Myanmar, the 1,880-km long border with Bangladesh, the over 1,300-km border with China, the 516-km border with Bhutan, and the 98-km border with Nepal.

The Army, Assam Rifles and the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops are guarding the northeastern states’ borders with China and Myanmar while the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are guarding the India-Bangladesh borders with four northeastern states – Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.

“Our troops are patrolling round-the-clock and stepped up their vigil in view of the Lok Sabha elections to foil any cross-border illegal activities, infiltration, and misadventure during the run-up to the polling,” a senior BSF official told IANS refusing to be named.

He said that additional Director General, BSF (Eastern Command), Kolkata, Ravi Gandhi accompanied by other senior officials visited the India-Bangladesh bordering areas last week and earlier this week and held a series of meetings with all concerned and interacted with the jawans posted along the frontiers.

The official said that following the directions from the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), all-out measures have been taken to further tighten the security along the borders.

The state security forces in coordination with the Central forces are active in the bordering villages and areas to ensure security in the run-up to the elections.

Meanwhile, a large contingent of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) reached different northeastern states last month and they, along with the state security forces, are now regularly patrolling the sensitive, vulnerable, mixed-population, and border areas as part of their “confidence-building measures”.

Elections to the 25 Lok Sabha seats across eight northeastern states will be held in the first three phases of the seven-phase parliamentary elections, with 15 seats, including one partly, going to the polls in the first phase, seven (one partly) in the second phase, and four in the third phase.

Of the 15 Lok Sabha seats going to the polls on April 19 (first phase), five are in Assam and there are two seats each in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur (one partly) and one each in Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim.

In the second phase on April 26, voting will be held in another five seats in Assam, the other seat in Tripura, and in the remaining part of Outer Manipur.

Polling will be held in the remaining four seats in Assam in the third phase on May 7.

Elections to the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and 32-member Sikkim Assembly would also be held on April 19.

The counting of votes for the Sikkim and Arunachal Assembly polls would be done on June 2 and for the Lok Sabha elections on June 4.