Fearing post-poll violence, 50,000 security personnel will remain deployed in the state for an indefinite period! This fresh notification was issued on Friday. It explicitly states that, following the elections, 200 companies of central forces will remain deployed solely for the security of EVMs and strong rooms.
As the elections (WB Assembly Election 2026) draw closer, reports of unrest are pouring in from various parts of the state. Currently, the state is in turmoil over the incident in Kaliachak. The situation became explosive on Wednesday night when judicial officers—who had gone to conduct work related to the Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR)—were detained inside the Kaliachak-II BDO office. Although this incident occurred amidst a public protest against the exclusion of names from the electoral rolls, allegations have surfaced that the police were conspicuously absent from the scene. Consequently, the Election Commission faced severe criticism from the Supreme Court regarding this matter. Furthermore, show-cause notices were issued to the concerned police officers, the State DGP, and the Chief Secretary. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has now initiated an inquiry into the incident. However, prior to this, the CID had already arrested a leader of the MIM party on suspicion of involvement in the episode.
In the wake of this incident, the Election Commission has further intensified its security arrangements. On Friday, the Commission announced that 500 companies of security forces would remain deployed in the state—even after the declaration of election results—to maintain law and order. This move is widely interpreted as a directive issued by the Commission in anticipation of continued unrest even after the polls. It is precisely this perceived 'over-activism' on the part of the Commission that is now raising questions.