Police personnel stand guard outside the CPM office in Dhupguri ahead of the chief minister’s office. Picture by Biplab Basak

Aug. 30: With the militancy threat looming large, the police have made unprecedented security arrangements for chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s visit to Dhupguri on Sunday.

The administration also wants to prevent a repeat of what happened to director-general of police D.C. Vajpai when he visited the town soon after the August 17 militant strike on the CPM office that left five party functionaries dead. Party cadre had heckled the police boss, blaming the force for not doing enough to ensure security.

Though it is unlikely that Bhattacharjee will have to go through a similar experience, the chief minister will have to soothe the ruffled feathers of the party workers.

The Jalpaiguri police, along with their Darjeeling and Cooch Behar counterparts, have already thrown a security ring around the site of the public meeting to be addressed by Bhattacharjee at the Dhupguri regulated market committee maidan.

Applying the balm on the party leadership at Dhupguri will be state CPM secretary Anil Biswas, who is scheduled to arrive here by Darjeeling Mail on Sunday morning. Biswas will hold a meeting with office-bearers of the Jalpaiguri party unit in the morning prior to the chief minister’s arrival. Biswas will also review the situation with the party leadership of the three districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar.

Bhattacharjee is scheduled to reach Bagdogra in the afternoon from where he will proceed to Dhupguri to address the public rally. The chief minister is then scheduled to hold meetings with the civil and police administrations of the three districts of Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Darjeeling to review law and order in the wake of the KLO strike.

The chief minister’s schedule is being kept a close-guarded secret. The administration is tight-lipped on whether he will stay back at Jalpaiguri or spend the night in Siliguri or return to Calcutta the same evening.

Inspector-general of police (North Bengal) Bhupinder Singh today held a meeting with the superintendents of police of Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Cooch Behar to chalk out a water-tight security arrangement.Jalpaiguri superintendent of police Siddh Nath Gupta said: “We do not want to take any chances with the chief minister’s security. Arrangements have been made taking into account all angles of security. As compared to other visits, this one is more sensitive given the current situation.”

The police have erected six watch-towers at the meeting venue to monitor the crowd, Gupta added. Besides, the police authorities will deploy a crack district combat commando force along with the CRPF.