DGP GAURAV YADAV DIRECTS POLICE OFFICERS TO ENSURE FREE, FAIR AND PEACEFUL LOK SABHA ELECTIONS

CHANDIGARH, March 19:

In order to ensure free, fair and peaceful forthcoming General Elections 2024, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday, directed all the CPs/SSPs of the state to lay effective interstate/inter-district nakas to keep vigil on the movement of anti-social elements, drug smugglers and bootleggers, and mobilise maximum force for area domination and confidence-building measures.

The DGP was chairing a state-level meeting through VC at his office with senior police officers, Range ADGs/IGs/DIGs, CPs/SSPs, all gazetted officers posted in districts, and all SHOs in the state to review preventive measures ahead of elections and apprise them about the guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Emphasising on the need to build a positive environment in the state, DGP Gaurav Yadav directed all the police officers to do professional policing and strictly adhere to all aspects of the Model Code of Conduct and follow all the instructions and guidelines from the ECI to hold free and fair elections. The instructions of the ECI should be further disseminated with the entire force, he said.

DGP Gaurav Yadav informed the officers that there is a complete ban on the issuance of new arms licenses. He also directed the CPs/SSPs to ensure the deposition of weapons in compliance with the ECI norms. He also asked CPs/SSPs to frequently carry out checking at gun houses to review the security arrangements and ensure that foolproof arrangements have been made by the gun house owner for safe storage of firearms.

He directed the officers to carry out mapping of vulnerable areas to identify the sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas so that extra force could be deployed to avoid any untoward situation ahead of the General Elections. He also directed all the officers to make special efforts to nab accused persons involved in heinous crimes and expedite the investigation and prosecution of cases of election-related offences.

The DGP ordered officers to intensify the checking of vehicles, especially commercial vehicles, entering and exiting the state to check the influx of narcotics and illicit liquor. There should be no let up in the ongoing campaign against drug traffickers, criminals and gangsters, he said.

He said that a special campaign has already been launched to arrest Proclaimed Offenders (POs) and Parole Jumpers and for execution of non-bailable warrants (NBWs). Pertinently, since the launch of special campaign from January 1, 2024, Police teams till now have arrested as many as 2890 POs, while, preventive action has been taken initiated against 2456 people under sections 107/151 of the CrPC act. Similarly, of a total 2110 Non-Bailable Warrants, 1175 NBWs have been executed successfully.

Notably, the 25 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed in vulnerable districts of the state to instil confidence among the general public as well as to dominate sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas in the state. The 25 companies include five coys of Central Reserved Police Forces (CRPF), 15 coys of Border Security Force (BSF) and five coys of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

Meanwhile, the DGP asked all the officers to have an excellent inter-departmental liaison and cooperation so that all stakeholders and departments work in tandem to ensure peaceful elections.