Joint Bihar-Jharkhand Effort to Ensure Peaceful Elections 2024 Discussed in Gaya Meeting

Tejaswini

Gaya: A high-level meeting convened in Gaya on Sunday, chaired jointly by Magadh division commissioner Mayank Warwade and range police inspector general (IG) Kshatranil Singh, delved into strategies aimed at ensuring free, fair, and peaceful Lok Sabha general elections in 2024 through coordinated anti-naxal operations and preventive measures.

Commissioner Warwade emphasized the necessity of appointing nodal officers from each district to facilitate coordination in border areas between Bihar and Jharkhand. He advocated for the exchange of mobile numbers among police officers for seamless communication and urged the sharing of intelligence on naxalites, criminals, and anti-social elements to enable preventive action.

Moreover, Warwade emphasized the importance of taking legal action against politically active individuals and anti-social elements who could potentially disrupt the election process. He also stressed the need for preventive and protective measures to address communal or caste tensions that could impact the elections indirectly or directly.

Meanwhile, Magadh range IG highlighted the significance of extra vigilance and regular operations by central paramilitary forces in naxal-affected areas, particularly the Kauleshwari forest area connecting Gaya with Hazaribagh and Chatra in Jharkhand. To ensure quick medical assistance to security personnel in these areas, a permanent helipad has been established at Chhakarbandha, with another under construction at Lutua.

Warwade further underscored the importance of conducting investigative campaigns to curb the smuggling of illegal firearms and explosives, as well as cracking down on illicit liquor and narcotics networks. He called for the establishment of adequate checkpoints and check posts in border areas, along with the installation of CCTV cameras on national and state highways to bolster security measures.

The meeting saw the participation of IGs from Bokaro and Palamu zones in Jharkhand, along with deputy inspector generals from Hazaribagh, Munger, Shahabad, and Dehri-on-Sone, as well as senior officials from the Central Reserve Police Force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and COBRA (Composite Battalion for Resolute Action). District magistrates, deputy commissioners, and superintendents of police from various districts of Bihar and Jharkhand also attended the crucial gathering.