Kolkata: A joint coordination meeting between Kolkata Police and senior CAPF company commanders took place on Monday at Alipore Bodyguard Lines. The session, attended by KP commissioner Ajay Nand and other senior officers, focussed on deployment strategies, area domination, vulnerability mapping, and strengthening inter-agency coordination.Following the meeting, Election Commission (EC) police and general observers intensified visits to local police stations under new directives. An EC missive issued on Sunday instructed police observers to ensure violence-free polls, prevent intimidation, and stop rigging. To ensure a secure environment, observers were ordered to visit all police stations in their jurisdictions and submit reports by Monday evening to special observer N K Mishra, a retired IPS officer.Observers were further directed to identify troublemakers, execute pending non-bailable warrants (NBWs), and hold OCs accountable through ground-level policing audits. The directive stated that errant police officers would be booked. EC officials also expressed displeasure regarding a WBCS (Ex) officer who remains at large in a murder case after the Supreme Court rejected his bail.The EC issued a series of mandates to observers to trace vulnerabilities at polling stations and boost voter confidence. It was emphasized that the election requires strict law and order maintenance and seamless synchronization between local police and central forces. Observers must ensure voters can cast ballots without fear, preventing fraudulent voting and booth jamming. They are required to prepare lists of known criminals in liaison with local police and review the execution of NBWs.These expectations must be communicated to OCs in dedicated meetings, with warnings that negligence may result in disciplinary action.
