West Bengal poll vigil: Drones over booths, more body cams for CAPF

KOLKATA: The EC will use drones for surveillance around booths on poll day in Kolkata and its suburbs. Officials on Saturday held a series of meetings to install additional CCTV cameras on all roads leading to the booths to prevent foul play.

The EC also decided to deploy additional body cameras for Central Armed Police Forces personnel. Most of the drones and armoured vehicles will be deployed in Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly where incidents of violence were reported during the last polls, officials said.



The EC prepared a list of sensitive assembly segments, including Bhowanipore, where drones were likely to be used depending on sensitive booths and tension on poll day. The drones will send inputs to Lalbazar control room for quick response and could take footage if there was a presence of trouble mongers on rooftops. Kolkata Police also planned to use aerial surveillance through drones to monitor narrow lanes.

With concerns that voters could be intimidated on their way to booths, the EC took proactive steps to ensure voters were not prevented from reaching polling stations. For booths in densely populated areas of Kolkata and Howrah, the decision to install additional CCTV cameras was taken so that monitoring from control room could be done easily and, if needed, quick response teams would be asked to move in.

With the second phase scheduled on April 29, drones will be deployed to monitor sensitive areas and additional body cameras have been requisitioned for CAPF personnel. The drones will send inputs if there are large gatherings close to the booths so sector officers can be alerted.
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