AGARTALA, June 16 (TIWN): The State Election Commission today wrote to Director General of Tripura Police C Balasubhramanian seeking his intervention in arranging additional central armed police forces for the three-tier Panchayat election scheduled on July 15 this year.Speaking to reporters in the sidelines of a media interaction here today, State Election Commissioner Y Kumar said that a letter was written to the DGP seeking his intervention in arranging additional 40 companies of CAPF personnel to handle security requirements in the coming Panchayat election.

 Copy of the letter was given to the state Home Department, he added.

The state Home Department was earlier requested to arrange additional central forces following which it sought 40 companies of CAPF jawans from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The MHA didn’t respond the appeal till date.

Most political parties of the state recently sought central force security in the Panchayat election process. The Commission confirmed later that it was trying to arrange central forces for the counting process and guarding strong rooms. Poll process for the Panchayat election was usually handled by state police and TSR personnel in Tripura save 2009 panchayat election when MHA permitted use of central forces stationed in the state at the time.

“The state police authorities earlier informed us that they would be able to deploy 12,000 armed personnel for poll purposes straightaway”, Kumar stated.

He further said that the DGP was requested to pull out few training companies of the Border Security Forces (BSF) to tie up with the state police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawans in the Panchayat election duty.