Police should ensure peaceful poll by maintaining law & order

Bhopal: The biggest challenge before the police during coming Vidhan Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh is to ensure peaceful polling by maintaining law & order. This was informed by Deputy Election Commissioner of India Shri Vinod Zutshi during one-day training programme of police officers pertaining to elections. Deputy Election Commissioner of India Shri Sudhir Tripathi, Chief Electoral Officer Shri Jaideep Govind, Director of RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration Shri Rakesh Agrawal etc. were present on the occasion.
Shri Vinod Zutshi said that it is moral responsibility of all concerning people to ensure impartial elections also. Clean and impartial elections are among priorities of Election Commission. He said that all political parties as well as people must have knowledge of electoral process, laws, rules etc. Poll percentage will definitely increase through concrete security arrangements at polling centres during voting. If situation is not peaceful then voters will not come out of their homes. Police bears the important responsibility to maintain peace, law & order. He asked police officers to free voters from fear of musclemen. Paying attention to vulnerable, critical and sensitive polling booths, police should start preparations for concrete security there right now.
Shri Zutshi informed that photo electoral rolls, IDs and polling slips will be useful in curbing fake voting. After Maheshwar by-election, photo polling slips will be used for the first time on a large scale in Madhya Pradesh. He said that booth-capturing can be prevented if officers and police personnel deployed at polling booths are alert and fearless. Media, political parties, observers, public etc. keep keen watch over police and administration during elections. Therefore, police will have to discharge their duties with even more alertness. In case of disputes and complaints prompt disposal will have to be made. Apart from rounding off criminals before elections, it will have also to be reviewed as to what action has been taken in the cases registered during last elections.
Shri Zutshi said that training should be imparted to lowest rank police personnel i.e. constables, specially those to be deployed at polling centres. Every police personnel must have knowledge about election-related directives also. The Commission has given time till July 31 to transfer police officers posted at the same place for over 3 years. He directed police officers to fill up vacancies and ensure arrangements for equipments, vehicles, wireless, arms etc. before elections. Special attention should be paid to police deployment. District police should submit its dream plan mentioning requirement of equipment and police personnel. Check-post system should be strengthened further for peaceful polling. He asked officers to get every polling centre analysed at their level. They should make concrete security arrangements at sensitive and musclemen-affected polling centre and include this in their plan. He clarified that the commission will not tolerate any mistake or error in security arrangements. According to Shri Zutshi, poll preparations in Madhya Pradesh are satisfactory.
Shri Sudhir Tripathi said that there had been no tradition of police training earlier. But this is being done now for ensuring better elections. He said that the commission also wishes to streamline election management. To this effect, electoral process is being improved for making it more excellent. Terming role of police in electoral process as important, Shri Tripathi said that these should be impartial inspections and enquiries.
Shri Jaideep Govind said that on the directives of Election Commission, 27 master trainers of the state have undergone training in New Delhi. Now, these trainers are training 1000 officers in Madhya Pradesh. Training is being imparted in the light of amendments in commission’s rule since year 2008. The training is being participated by 25 IGs, DIGs, SPs and ASPs each of every district. Training to officers of remaining districts will be imparted in the second phase on July 30.
In the second session of the training, IG (RAPTC), Indore Shri Pawan Shrivastava gave presentation on role of police, law & order in district election management action plan, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh’s SP Railways Shri Ramkrishna Bhardwaj on deployment of central paramilitary force, IG Law & Order and Security Sushri Sonali Mishra on police web portal, IG (SAF), Gwalior Shri R.S. Meena on vulnerability mapping, communication plan and model code of conduct and Deputy Secretary Finance Shri Sanjay Kumar made a presentation on election expenses’ monitoring.