Panchayat polls: Calcutta High Court asks state Election Commission to increase presence of central forces

Expressing strong disappointment against West Bengal State Election Commission’s decision to deploy only 22 companies of central forces for the upcoming state panchayat polls which it found grossly “inadequate”, the Calcutta High Court directed the Commission to enhance central forces presence within 24 hours.

The court observed that it expects the commission to deploy more central forces than what it did during the 2013 panchayat elections.

The commission had deployed 825 companies of central forces for conducting the rural body polls a decade ago

The advise to deploy additional forces over the 2013 figure was given by the court on grounds that the number of both voters and districts in Bengal have gone up in the last decade.