KOLKATA – In a proactive move ahead of the elections, the West Bengal government has classified four districts as highly sensitive following the release of the final voter list on Sunday after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). To ensure law and order, senior IPS officers have been deployed to oversee security in these border districts sharing boundaries with Bangladesh.
The districts—Maldah, Murshidabad, Nadia, and Cooch Behar—lie along critical international frontiers. Northern Bengal hosts Maldah and Cooch Behar, while Murshidabad and Nadia are in the south. Notably, Maldah and Murshidabad have substantial minority populations and have witnessed sporadic tensions in the past.
Four top IPS officers assumed charge on Saturday afternoon at 2 PM. Additional Director General (Anti-Terrorism Wing) Ajay Nand has been assigned to Maldah, supported by officers from the state’s anti-terrorism unit and local police.
Coastal Security Deputy Inspector General Sunil Kumar Yadav will monitor Cooch Behar, aided by personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and district police.
Headquarters Deputy Inspector General Rashid Muneer Khan takes charge in Murshidabad, with assistance from two Counter-Insurgency Force members and local police.
Traffic Inspector General Gaurav Sharma oversees Nadia, backed by two district police officers.
Bolstering this effort, the first batch of 240 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies began arriving Friday, set for deployment from March 1. This includes 110 CRPF, 55 BSF, 21 CISF, 27 ITBP, and 27 SSB units.
Ahead of the formal poll schedule and Model Code of Conduct, this early deployment underscores the state’s commitment to robust security. Another 240 CAPF companies will follow from March 10, fortifying election preparedness amid potential unrest in sensitive zones.