Police commissioner Ajay Nand and Calcutta North district election officer Smita Pandey on Wednesday visited several pockets of Ultadanga identified as having numerous “super sensitive” booths.
In Basanti Colony and parts of Muraripukur in Ultadanga, at least four polling stations have been classified as “super sensitive”, sources in the Election Commission said.
The officers walked through the lanes and bylanes, interacting with residents and assuring them of a fear-free voting process.
They were urged to step out of their homes “without any hesitation” and vote.
The “sensitivity” of a polling station is determined through an assessment of its vulnerability to violence.
“During vulnerability mapping, past instances of poll-related violence are assessed, along with the presence of any history-sheeter or troublemaker who could intimidate residents. Officials also check whether victims of earlier electoral violence live in the area. Based on these factors, a locality is classified as sensitive or super sensitive,” a senior Kolkata Police officer said.
According to sources, some of the pockets of this neighbourhood, covering four polling stations, have been identified as “super sensitive”.
During their visit on Wednesday, the senior officers shared contact numbers and urged residents to reach out to the police if they felt any fear or intimidation.
“The team met residents, with senior officers interacting with them as a confidence-building measure and asking if they faced any issues. People were clearly told to report any threats to the police or the ECI using the contact numbers provided,” a city police officer said later.
Sources said the police commissioner is expected to visit several other locations in the coming days that have been identified as “sensitive” or “super sensitive”.
The whole idea is to encourage people to come out of their homes and reach the polling stations to cast their votes without being influenced or intimidated by anyone, said a senior bureaucrat.
On Monday, Pandey, the district election officer, said that a booth with 150 or more deleted voters will be tagged as a “super sensitive booth”.
She termed the classification as a precaution against possible violence.