Intelligence Bureau had alerted the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs that firearms and country-made bombs would be used widely in the Assembly elections in the state, since these were being made and procured locally.
New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) took into account the “imminent” possibility of large-scale poll violence across West Bengal, as per inputs gathered from multiple agencies, while deciding to spread out the Assembly elections in the state across an unprecedented eight phases. The state has 294 Assembly seats, and thus Central forces and election observers will keep an eye on an average of 37 Assembly seats in every phase.
In the 2016 polls, the elections were conducted in six phases, with the maximum number of 62 seats going to the poll in the third phase, which translated into almost 50 seats per phase. In the 2011 elections too, the elections were conducted in six phases, while in 2006, the elections were held in five phases.
“Relevant inputs, spread across the last few months, were received by the EC through proper channels regarding how arms and ammunition were being collected by individuals and groups to execute violent activities in order to influence the polling. On many seats, it was being done with the support of the people who should ideally prevent such acts from taking place. The fact that the EC has spread the elections in the state across eight phases, with the maximum number of seats going to the poll in a single phase being 45 (fifth phase), shows how seriously the EC has taken into consideration these inputs,” a government official, who is familiar with the developments, told The Sunday Guardian.
Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress is locked in a “bloody” head-to-head fight with the BJP, which is looking to dethrone the 10-year-rule of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and form government for the first time in the state.
Another important step that the EC has taken to ensure “fair” polling is to increase the polling booths from 77,247 that were in 2016 to 101,790 in this election—an increase of 32%. This step, according to former election observers, will ensure better control and coordination of officials on polling days.
The EC has already deployed 125 companies of Central forces (roughly 17,000 men) in the state which will include 60 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 30 companies of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and five companies each of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
At least 13 people had died in the May 2018 West Bengal panchayat elections, a factor which, according to officials, played heavily on the mind of the EC.
“The political stakes involved in this Assembly elections are very high for the two main political parties of the state, which has forced the EC to spread the elections into eight phases to ensure lower number of seats per phase as extreme violence is not ruled out,” said an IPS officer, who has worked as an election observer in the state.
It is also pertinent to note that West Bengal is the only state among all the other states that are going to polls where the EC has appointed two former IPS officers as poll observers for West Bengal; Vivek Dubey (1981 IPS) and Mrinal Kanti Das (1977 IPS). “The same has been done to ensure peaceful polling across all the eight phases as both these officers have a considerable experience of overseeing polls,” the officer quoted said.
INFORMATION FROM IB
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) had alerted the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs that firearms and country-made bombs would be used widely in the elections, since these were being made and procured locally.
Sources in the Intelligence Bureau told The Sunday Guardian that they submitted a detailed report about the firearms and crude bomb-making factories present in the state.
According to the report, a huge number of firearms and crude bomb-making factories have come up in Bengal in the last couple of years. These factories are mushrooming in districts such as South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Malda, Murshidabad, Medinipur and some other parts of the state.
According to them, these factories are manufacturing cheap and affordable firearms that are procured by local political leaders and used during elections.
Political violence in Bengal has led to the loss of many lives and left hundreds of people injured. The panchayat elections that were held in 2018 witnessed a naked display of firearms and country-made bombs by political parties.
The Sunday Guardian was told by Intelligence Bureau officers from Bengal that country-made pistols and crude bombs are easily available. “The prices of such pistols range from Rs 300 to Rs 8,000 depending upon the quality. A country-made pistol which is usually used by small-time political goons is priced between Rs 300 and Rs 1,000. The country-made bombs are priced as low as Rs 130 per piece and can go up to Rs 500 per piece depending upon the quality and quantity for which it is ordered. These crude bombs are usually made by locals who have been trained by firecracker-making factories. Those who are into this make these pistols and bombs in their own houses. These are made mostly in villages by groups of people who are trained in doing this job. Training for bomb-making and pistol-making is also prevalent in the state. For bombs, sharp nails, glass pieces, nuts and such other sharp objects are used to cause maximum damage. The gunpowder used in the bombs is procured from firecracker factories,” an Intelligence Bureau officer from Bengal told this newspaper.
Sources in the IB also said that the demand for firearms and crude bombs has seen a sharp rise in the state and it has been noticed that before every election this demand spikes in the state. “Orders have come in huge numbers and many consignments have also been dispatched. Political leaders usually pick up their consignment of firearms before election dates are declared to avoid the strict scrutiny of the Election Commission. Some in the interiors of Bengal have storages at their own house where hundreds of pistols and bombs are stored and dispatched when the need arises. Usually, demand increases with elections approaching. They are basically hoarded by political parties before the election,” the officer said.
“We have also noticed that a lot of gunpowder and bullets too have entered Bengal from the borders of Bihar and Jharkhand. The West Bengal police has been informed about this several times. The Intelligence Bureau submitted its reports to the EC as well as the MHA about this development,” the officer said.