Officers in charge (OCs) of police stations across the city have been directed to restrict the movement of identified troublemakers by issuing legal notices, police observers overseeing law enforcement for the Assembly elections have said.

The police observers have also asked OCs to compile a list of individuals with pending cases related to electoral violence. The directions were communicated during
meetings held across multiple police stations in Calcutta as part of election preparedness on Tuesday.

According to the observers, troublemakers will be identified based on the number and nature of criminal cases pending against them, both recent and past.

A total of 84 IPS officers, from various states and Union territories, have been appointed as “police observers” for the Bengal Assembly elections. Of them, six have been assigned to areas under the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police, covering the city and its fringes.

“The OCs were directed to issue notices under Section 157 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) against troublemakers to restrict their movement,”
said a senior Kolkata Police officer.

The section empowers executive magistrates to demand bonds from individuals deemed likely to disturb public peace for a period of up to one year. Senior officers said such bonds may or may not include sureties, but are intended to prevent any potential breach of peace.

The six observers — mostly from BJP-ruled states — spent Tuesday meeting OCs and later held discussions with divisional commissioners across Kolkata Police’s 10 divisions to assess preparedness. Calcutta votes on April 29.

“Since several OCs have taken charge recently, the police observers asked if they had familiarised themselves with their jurisdictions and whether they were maintaining registers of known criminals,” the officer said. “The thrust of all interactions was on ensuring a neutral role of the police during the polls.”

The issue of maintaining and monitoring lists of criminals surfaced within two
days of the Election Commission suspending Biswajit Debnath, the OC of Kasba police station. He was suspended for allegedly failing to include Biswajit Poddar, or Sona Pappu, in the list of active history-sheeters in the area.

Sources in the state home department said police observers will play a crucial role both in the run-up to the polls and on polling day. Their reports to the EC could influence last-minute decisions, including recommendations for transfers or suspensions of police officers.

“The observers, being senior IPS officers, know what to ask OCs and what to look for while gathering information about constituencies under their watch,” said a senior officer from Kolkata Police’s south division.

Some of the priority areas outlined by the observers:

• Ensure extensive deployment of central forces for confidence-building measures across lanes, bylanes, polling stations, neighbourhoods and thoroughfares
• Ensure OCs personally patrol their jurisdictions and remain familiar with polling premises to enable quick deployment of forces in case of trouble on polling day
• Prepare lists of individuals who have not yet deposited their licensed arms at police stations
• Verify the execution of non-bailable arrest warrants
• Draw up a list of individuals involved in election-related disturbances in 2021 and 2024.

Senior officers said every police station maintains a rough register of known offenders. OCs have been instructed to review these records, verify pending cases and prepare a list of troublemakers.

On Monday, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand directed all OCs to identify “10 notorious” troublemakers within their jurisdictions and submit the lists to police headquarters within this week.