Mumbai police step up security for BMC polls

Mumbai: Mumbai police have thrown a tight security cover across the city as part of arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections to be held here tomorrow. "Police are maintaining a strong vigil to avert any untoward incident during polls in city as there are 7,297 polling centres, which include 726 sensitive centres.

Besides, 159 pockets of the city are declared as sensitive. Police bandobast has also been done at vital installations the city," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe said today. Video-recording of the poll process will be done at sensitive booths, he said. Police have enforced CrPC's section 144 (prohibitory orders) in the vicinity of 100 metres of the polling centres, where there will be restrictions on non-voters.

At least 17 FIRs and 59 non-cognisable offences of violation of code of conduct were registered in city since the poll notification, the police spokesman said. Preventive action was taken against 3,000 people and 125 persons were externed from the city. Nearly 1,100 preventive arrests made by police during the period. Besides, 844 warrants were issued and 185 cases registered for sale of illicit liquor, Dudhe said. Also, 18 weapons being kept illegally were seized.

The DCP said that plain-clothed police personnel from the special and crime branches will be deployed outside the polling stations. There will be separate queues for men and women to avoid any chaos during polling, he said, adding that strict police security will also be deployed for poll counting, to be done at 23 centres in the city on Thursday. Checking of vehicles and regular combing operations are being carried out throughout the city with the help of flying squads of Mumbai police, BMC and the Election Commission, the DCP said.