Paramilitary forces arrive in Coimbatore for election duty

COIMBATORE: Two companies of paramilitary forces have arrived in the city ahead of the assembly election. Eight companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been allotted to Coimbatore district for area domination and confidence-building measures. Of these, two companies of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have reached the city. The personnel have been housed in marriage halls in the Singanallur and Kuniyamuthur areas. A police officer said more than 140 personnel had arrived and others would reach the city in the coming days. They will be deployed at sensitive polling stations. They will conduct patrols. Meanwhile, the city police plan to deploy more than 2,000 personnel for election duty.There are 1,175 polling stations at 333 locations in the city and 2,046 polling stations in rural areas. Of these, 46 polling stations in the city and 107 in rural areas have been identified as vulnerable. Security would be strengthened at these stations, and personnel would be deployed based on the vulnerability level, a senior police officer said.He added that an election cell had been formed in the city, comprising one assistant commissioner of police, one inspector, two sub-inspectors and 10 police personnel. The complaint number will be made public soon. The rural police have also formed an election cell, and work is under way to allocate a designated number for public complaints.