Kolkata — The Election Commission of India has ordered a focused crackdown on crude bomb manufacturing units across West Bengal ahead of the second phase of Assembly polls scheduled for April 29.
Central forces deployed for election duty have been directed to intensify operations to locate and neutralise explosive devices, ensuring that no such incidents disrupt polling. The Commission has also asked personnel to step up bomb detection and disposal efforts to maintain a secure environment on voting day.
The directive comes on the same day the National Investigation Agency arrested the main आरोपी linked to a recent blast in the Bijoyganj Bazar area of South 24 Parganas district.
At the state level, West Bengal Police has been instructed to launch a parallel drive to identify and detain individuals involved in the manufacture of crude bombs. Acting on intelligence inputs, police recently conducted a raid in the Majerhat area under North Kashipur Police Station, recovering suspicious materials and gunpowder from an abandoned house.
The poll body has also issued a stern warning to Kolkata Police and district authorities in South 24 Parganas, cautioning that any negligence—particularly involving voter intimidation or use of explosives—will invite strict disciplinary action.
During a coordination meeting with senior officers, the Commission made it clear that Officers-in-Charge (OCs) and Inspectors-in-Charge (ICs) of police stations will be held directly accountable for maintaining law and order, especially in preventing intimidation tactics or violence in the run-up to and during polling.
WIth inputs from IANS