With the dates for the LokSabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir drawing closer, security agencies have started mapping out areas in Kashmir where the polling booths are to be set up, officials said on Sunday, and asserted that 90 percent of polling booths in Srinagar and Anantnag parliamentary constituencies fall in the “hypersensitive” category.
The general elections in the state are being held in fivephases beginning April 11, and, for the first, the restive Anantnag seat insouthern Kashmir will witness the polling in three phases “for securityreasons”.
A senior police official said the “final arrangements” arebeing put in place for LokSabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, especially inthe Kashmir Valley, and “it will take a few more days to identify pollingbooths in certain critical areas and to frame the requirement of forcespersonnel to be deployed at sensitive and hypersensitive polling booths”.
The Srinagar parliamentary constituency comprises Srinagar,Budgam and Ganderbal districts.
“Though the security situation in all these districts isunder control, 90 percent of polling booths here fall in the hypersensitivecategory, while the rest 10 percent in the sensitive category,” he said.
In the Anantnag constituency, which comprises the restiveAnantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam districts, the exercise is on to identifythe polling booths in areas “where there are serious security concerns”, thepolice official said.
“The southern Kashmir constituency is hypersensitive given thesecurity challenges it poses for us. In its most-volatile areas, securitypersonnel will be deployed in large numbers to ensure smooth conduct of polls,”he said.
The official said the police are getting “final feedback”about areas where polling booths have to be established.
The Anantnag seat is going to polls in the third, fourth andfifth phases on April 23, April 29 and May 6.
In the third and fourth phases, the Anantnag and Kulgamdistricts are going to the polls respectively, while the Shopian and Pulwamadistricts will go to the polls in the last phase.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, inspector general of CRPFRavideep Singh Sahi said though the number of sensitive and hypersensitivepolling booths is already available as per the 2014 parliamentary poll model,”this time, there will be more extensive research done in the wake ofchallenges in some pockets”.
“The exercise is on and the final security plan will beframed within a week’s time. It entails identification of sensitive andhypersensitive polling booths, deployment of forces personnel at each pollingbooth, and requirements vis-à-vis law and order component,” he said.
“The area domination and night patrolling is already on inareas declared hypersensitive,” Sahi said.
In the northern LokSabha constituency comprising Baramulla,Kupwara and Bandipora districts, 70 percent of polling booths fall in thehypertensive category and 30 in the sensitive category, according to officials.
A police official said there are less security challenges innorthern areas compared to southern and central Kashmir seats.
“But we won’t leave anything to chance,” he said.