725 CAPF companies to be deployed for West Bengal polls: CRPF DG

725 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces will provide support to the West Bengal authorities so that peaceful and successful elections could be held under the directions of the Election Commission.

New Delhi: As many as 725 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will be deployed in West Bengal for the conduct of forthcoming assembly elections, CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh said on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of the 82nd anniversary of the country's largest paramilitary force, Singh said that 495 out of the 725 companies have already reached the state while the rest are on their way.

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"One CAPF company has an operational strength of about 72 personnel," he told the reporters.

West Bengal will have eight-phased polling for its 294-member assembly beginning March 27.

Asked about the threat assessment in the poll-bound state, Singh said, "Threat assessments are done by state authorities in areas and they decide deployment on that basis."

"We do not have any such assessment that which phase would be more challenging," the 1986-batch IPS officer of the West Bengal cadre said.

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Singh was recently appointed as the head of the over 3.25 lakh personnel-strong CRPF. He has been serving as a Special DG in the CRPF before taking up the top post.

"We are committed to peaceful, free and fair elections. We provide support, we do not gather intelligence," the CRPF DG said, adding deployment in the different phases of elections is being worked out.

The CRPF DG said that 13 persons are being provided by VIP security in West Bengal by the CRPF including two Z + category, three Z category, five Y+ category, one Y category and two X category.

The newly created VIP wing of CRPF is providing security to 69 protectors of different threat categories. The VIP Security Training Centre (VSTC) at GC CRPF Greater Noida has been established for providing pre-induction and orientation training in VIP security duties.

(with inputs from agency)

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