New Delhi/Kolkata, Apr 19 (PTI) The chiefs of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) held an "unprecedented" high-level meeting in Kolkata to review the security situation and deployment of almost 2 lakh
personnel during the upcoming two-phase assembly polls in West Bengal.
The meeting held on Saturday (April 18) was followed by a "landmark" joint leadership summit at the CRPF office in Salt Lake, where the CAPF Directors General along with top officers of West Bengal Police decided to ensure an "integrated security grid" to "handle potential disruptors in coordination with local law enforcement", officials said.
According to the officials, the five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) of CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB, apart from units of the Indian Reserve Battalions (IRBs) and some other state police auxiliary units, have deployed close to two lakh personnel for the West Bengal polls that will be held on April 23 and April 29.
A senior CAPF officer told PTI that this was "an unprecedented meeting held in a poll-bound state by the CAPF chiefs".
Such a joint meeting of CAPF DsG has never been held during any assembly polls in the past. These CAPF chiefs also visited their respective poll duty units apart from that of the joint forces over the last few days in West Bengal, he said.
Tamil Nadu will also have a single-phase poll on April 23 but such a meeting by all CAPF chiefs has not taken place for that state till now, he added.
"In a powerful display of inter-agency synergy and commitment to the democratic process, the top leadership of India's Central Armed Police Forces convened in Kolkata on April 18," the CISF said in a statement issued on Sunday.
"The high-level joint meeting was aimed at finalising a robust, technology-driven security architecture for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026," it said
It added that this meeting was followed by a "landmark" leadership summit where CAPF chiefs, West Bengal Police and Election Commission appointed police advisors and observers reviewed the security situation in the state, especially for the first phase of polling in 152 assembly seats on April 23.
The leadership reviewed the deployment of Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and anti-sabotage checks, ensuring that the "Integrated Security Grid" is prepared to handle potential disruptors in coordination with local law enforcement, the CISF statement said.
It added that the primary objective of all these forces is the conduct of a free, fair, and transparent election where every citizen can exercise their franchise without fear or intimidation.
"Our mission in West Bengal transcends routine security; it is about safeguarding the sanctity of the ballot," CISF DG Praveer Ranjan was quoted as saying in the statement.
"To the personnel on the ground, my message is clear: you are the guardians of democracy. We must function not as individual units, but as one election force that is cohesive, disciplined and technologically adept," he said. PTI NES RT
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