Announcing that the department has created a peaceful environment to conduct the first phase of panchayat elections in the twelve mandals falling under Kadiri revenue division, Anantapur Superintendent of Police B. Satya Yesu Babu has appealed to the voters to boldly exercise their franchise.
An officer of Deputy Superintendent cadre has been posted in every mandal to ensure law and order, while armed forces are available in the vicinity of the villages going to polls. Since IPC Section 144 and Section 30 of Police Act would be in force during the polling time, there would be ban on movement of people in groups, he said.
Similarly, non-residents would not be allowed to stay in any village during the poll time. “Any violation should be brought to the notice of police and none is allowed to take law into his hands. Water bottles, ink bottles, ball pen, mobile phones and valuables will not be allowed into polling stations,” he cautioned.
Similarly, he said three ASPs, 12 DSPs, 30 Inspectors, 110 Sub-Inspectors, 3,000 constables, 900 women police, 12 each QRT teams and striking forces, 86 route mobiles and seven APSP platoons would be deployed during the first phase. If any deviation from rules is observed, the public can dial 100 or 99898 19191 to reach the police control room.
In Tirupati, Additional Superintendent of Police E. Supraja gave guidelines on dos and don’ts to Mahila Samrakshana Secretaries (WMSK). In view of certain unsavoury incidents happened in the past, she asked women to stay vigilant and discharge their duties with utmost care.
“You should not talk to the voters and stay out of the booths, but can enter only if the booth official requires your presence,” she said. Ms. Supraja also asked the women to ensure that water dispensers, pots and bottles are not kept in the vicinity of the booths, as the same could be misused by anti-social elements. She suggested separate queue lines for the differently-abled and women, if they found the need.
