Chandigarh, December 14:The Election Commission of India today issued instructions to all poll going states to take preventive Law and Order action to ensure conduct of peaceful free and fare polls.
Ms Kusumjit Sidhu Chief Electoral Officer today said that all District Magistrates have been instructed that immediately after the announcement of elections they shall make a detailed and individual review and assessment (in accordance with the prevalent state laws) of all licensed arms holders so that licensed arms in those cases where they consider it essential were impounded in order to ensure free and fair elections.
She said that the Commission being deeply aware of the increasingly vitiative role of criminality and muscle power at elections has been taking and directed to take a number of measures over and above the preview of normal law and order arrangements, for augmenting the measures taken for peaceful, free and fair poll. She said that measures included the deployment of Central Police Forces during the process of elections to assist the State law and Order machinery in prevention of pre-poll, poll and post-poll violence and inspire confidence in the impartiality of election machinery among the common electorate, regulation of vehicular traffic, regulation and ban on the sale of liquor in close proximity with the dates of poll and counting, seizure of illicit. Arms including review of licensed arms and carrying of weapons on person on the poll day etc.
She said that these extra measures taken by the Commission cannot absolve the normal law and order outfit of the State from taking such preparatory steps as are necessary for generation of an atmosphere conducive to the conduct of peaceful, free and fair poll during the run up period to the elections. She said that it was indispensable to tighten the local law and order outfit and enforce with adequate strictness the day-to-day criminal administration with a view to mitigating the requirement of the aforesaid extra measures.
She said that a special drive should be launched to compile a list of such persons as are reported to have indulged in electoral offences like booth capturing, intimidation, impersonation in each police station of each and every constituency during the past at least two elections and a list thus compiled of each constituency made available to the District Election Officer and the Returning Officer concerned of each Parliamentary/Assemble Constituency to be forwarded to the Commission if and when asked for.
She said that a special drive should be launched to update the lists of history sheeters, declared absconders, fugitive criminals in each police station falling in each and every Parliamentary/Assembly/ Constituency and record of such updated list be handed over to the District Election Officers and Returning Officers concerned, constituency wise, to be kept ready for dispatch to the Commission if and when asked for.
She said that a special drive should be launched to effect the service of all pending warrants and challans in each police station of each and every parliamentary and assembly constituency and fortnightly updated constituency wise information of unserved warrants be made available to the concerned District Election Officer and Returning Officer to be forwarded to the Commission, if and when asked for.
She said that a special drive should be launched to expedite the investigation and prosecution of all electoral offences registered in previous election in each police station of each and every Parliamentary/Assemble Constituency and fortnightly report be made available to the District Election Officer and Returning Officer concerned to be forwarded to the Commission, if and when asked for. Stressing on the need for checking sale of illegal liquor a special drive should be launched to unearth illicit liquor making factories and information about seizures be made available to the concerned District Election Officer and Returning Officer concerned, fortnightly to be forwarded to the Commission if and when asked for.
She said that issue of license for arms should be prohibited during the period commencing with the date of announcement of elections. This ban will continue to be operative till the completion of the election as notified.
She said that a special drive should be launched to unearth and seize unlicensed arms and ammunition. A very thorough search and seizure by the State Police of in licensed arms and places of indigenous manufacture of arms and ammunition shall be carried out and persons involved shall be arrested. While unearthing and seizure of unlicensed weapons is a normal ongoing responsibility of the police, it shall be vigorously intensified during the election period. Inter-state and intra-State movements of trucks and commercial vehicles shall be strictly checked with a view to preventing smuggling of arms and ammunition and anti-social elements. Raids should be carried out regularly and intensively on underground arms factories.
