Bhubaneswar: Odisha DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi on Monday, held a ‘cooperation meeting’ in view of the forthcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections for which dates were announced on Friday.
“We had a cooperation meeting today. SPs, and Range DIGs of the bordering areas of Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were present at the meeting. From our side officers from the bordering areas attended the meeting. Their senior from Intelligence and Operations wings were also present,” informed Odisha DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi addressing reporters here after the meeting.
Sarangi said that the cooperation meeting was held in keeping with the instructions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure a peaceful, and impartial poll and make the required arrangements to check the trafficking of arms, illegal arms, intoxicants, and cash during elections.
Especially, intelligence sharing and anti-Naxal operations will be strengthened in Naxal-affected areas was discussed during the meeting, Sarangi added.
The Odisha DGP said that SPs of our bordering districts flagged and discussed their issues with Jharkhand, Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
“We have discussed various aspects for expanding cooperation in various areas,” the Odisha DGP said.
The DGP informed that much before the elections process set in, border checkpoints have started operating in the State since the first week of January.
The border check posts have been provided with adequate police force and employees depending on the intensity of vehicular traffic, he added.
He informed that enforcement activities of police have increased significantly and seizures have also been reported at different check posts.
The senior officials also held discussions on how to check election-related violence in Maoist-infested districts, inspection of vehicles in sensitive areas, seizure of illegal firearms and drugs, liquor trade, and illicit transactions of money during the elections.
“The police officers have been alerted to keep watch on the illegal trade of brown sugar, ganja and the transportation of money. Many check-posts have been set up in districts and border areas. ,” added Sarangi.
The police officers also brainstormed over fake news on social media.
The meeting held at the DGP’s Camp Office here was attended by several senior IPS officers, including Director of Intelligence Soumendra Kumar Priyadarshi, ADG Law and Order Sanjay Kumar, IG Intelligence Anoop Sahu, DIG Special Intelligence Wing Umashankar Dash and IG Operations Devidutta Singh.
Meanwhile, another crucial meeting on the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces and State Armed Police Forces in various districts of the state during the elections was held in Lok Seva Bhawan, the state secretariat.
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, Chief Electoral Officer, Nikunja Bihari Dhal, DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi and several other officials participated in the meeting. Discussions were held on proper security arrangements during the election period.
As many as 75 companies of CAPF have already been deployed across the state.
