NIA officers sent to seven Bengal Assembly seats for second round of elections.

NIA officials have been assigned to monitor seven Assembly seats in West Bengal during the second phase of polling on Wednesday. This decision was made after the Election Commission requested the federal probe agency to ensure that bombs are not used to disrupt the voting process. The areas where NIA officials have been deployed include Kasba, Bhangar, Baruipur, and Bishnupur, as reported by an official.

Confirming the deployment, the official stated that the NIA has been given specific tasks at these locations due to credible information. Bhangar has been included in the list due to its history of poll-related violence. This move comes after the recent discovery of crude bombs in the state and reports of a minor blast.

On April 26, the police found crude bombs at the residence of a TMC worker in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas district. As per the instructions of the Union Home Ministry, the NIA registered a case to investigate the recovery of 79 crude bombs in the state. Following this, on Sunday, the anti-terror agency registered a case and took charge of the investigation, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata, on Saturday.

While the first phase of polling was relatively peaceful with only a few incidents reported, the police have noted some disturbances in certain areas prior to the second phase. To maintain law and order, armed patrols have been deployed extensively, covering main roads and interior lanes. The deployment of NIA officials also comes after recent directives from the Supreme Court, allowing the Election Commission to involve central agencies in investigations.

This decision was made after a recent incident in Malda, where judicial officials participating in the SIR exercise were surrounded by protestors opposing the removal of names from the voter list. PTI Orissa POST – Odisha’s No.1 English Daily