The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Ahead of polls, eye on ‘money, muscle power and misinformation’
TO BOLSTER security measures for the Lok Sabha elections, top law-enforcement officials from Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh will be targeting the 4 Ms — money, muscle power, Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations and misinformation. The three police forces met at an inter-state coordination meeting Thursday (April 18) to discuss seamless cooperation and intelligence exchange among other things.
In Delhi, police sources said, local personnel and paramilitary forces will carry out area-domination exercises in sensitive areas that are highly populated and have mixed communities to maintain peace and communal harmony.
Police will also crack down on any misinformation that can cause communal flare-ups. To this end, the Delhi Police has sensitised resident and market welfare associations, as well as community leaders, to flag any messages that they deem can be used to whip up communal sentiments. “There will be close coordination starting from the beat level, to the SHOS, DCPS and Range-level officers to nip any miscommunication — be it on social media platforms or messaging platforms — in the bud... We have requested the public to share any provocative messages with their local beat officers and SHOS,” said a senior police officer.
At the joint meeting, meanwhile, strategies for enhancing surveillance along inter-state borders, executing joint patrols and checkpoints, cracking down on illegal bootlegging activities, and establishing efficient intelligencesharing channels were discussed.
Police said CCTV cameras on borders will be monitored, along with intensified nakachecks, to ensure the transfer of money, liquor and freebies is curbed both before the election and on polling day.
Additionally, lists of criminals and habitual offenders will be shared between the forces to maintain peace during polling.
To keep MCC violations in check, DCP (East) Apoorva Gupta said, “Several vigilance teams have been created to carry out surprise raids based on intelligence inputs to crack down on individuals or groups involved in illegal activities such as bribery or distributing illicit material.”
According to DCP (Northeast) Joy Tirkey, flying squads have been formed to take quick action upon receiving intel regarding the movement of illicit items.