The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Saturday, December 7, 2002, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I N N E W S

353 paramilitary companies for Gujarat
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 6
As agreed with the Election Commission, the Centre has despatched over 350 companies of Central paramilitary forces for Gujarat to ensure that the December-12 Assembly poll are conducted in a free and fair manner.

According to official sources, the Union Home Ministry has ensured that 353 companies of Central forces drawn from various states have reached Gujarat for deployment.

While the Centre had sent 200 companies by the end of last month, the process of dispatching rest of the 153 companies in the state was completed today as per the demand of the Election Commission, Home Ministry officials said.

These forces would be deployed in various sensitive and hyper-sensitive constituencies by the local administration in consultation with the Election Commission and an adequate number of Central forces would remain in Gujarat till the counting of ballots were completed on December 15, the sources said.

The deployment of the forces would be over and above the deployment of a large number of local police personnel and jawans of Home Guards, sources said.

It may be recalled that the commission had demanded nearly 400 companies of paramilitary forces as confidence building measures in the state, which witnessed large-scale communal riots early this year, ahead of the poll.

However, after the meeting between the Home Ministry officials with Chief Election Commissioner, the commission gave its concurrence for the deployment of 353 companies during the poll.

EC: transfer 2 Gujarat SPs
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 6
Barely a week before the Assembly elections in Gujarat, the Election Commission today ordered the immediate transfer of Superintendents of Police of Sabarkantha and Mehsana districts saying their presence would “not be conducive” for the poll process.

The commission has “desired” that the presence of two SPs — Mr N. D. Solanki of Sabarkantha and Mr A. K. Sharma of Mehsana district — will “not be conducive to conduct free and fair elections in the state,” the commission said in a letter to the state Chief Secretary G. Subba Rao.

“These officials should be transferred forthwith and replaced by suitable officers,” the commission said in a letter to Gujarat Chief Secretary.

In a strongly-worded letter, the Election Commission directed the state government that these officials should not be given any election-related work, including maintenance of law and order.

The commission also directed the state government that a panel of suitable direct recruit police officers should be sent to the commission by 5 p.m. tomorrow.

The Chief Election Commissioner, who chaired a meeting of the full Bench yesterday, after reviewing the situation in Gujarat had asked the state administration to ensure that law and order was maintained effectively throughout the state no untoward incident occurred.