Uttar Pradesh to get 150 CAPF companies in first phase for polls

In view of the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, a total of 150 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel are being provided to the state by the Centre in the first phase, officials said. These include 50 companies of the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF), 30 companies each of the Border Security Force (BSF), the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and 20 companies each of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border (ITBP).

One company of CAPF generally has around a hundred personnel.

A senior Uttar Pradesh police officer said the 150 companies are being provided by the Centre in the first phase from January 10 with the objective of conducting elections in a fair and efficient manner as also to reduce the sensitivity and vulnerability around polls.

“These CAPF companies are being allotted to all 78 districts and commissionerates in UP as per their sensitivity and requirement. Instructions have been given by the police headquarters, Lucknow to the districts to organise a flag march for area domination, keeping in view the assembly elections by engaging the local police force along with these central police forces,” the officer said.

Among all UP districts, Prayagraj has got the maximum four companies of the CRPF in the first phase, according to officials.

The state has four districts where the commissionerate system of policing has been implemented.

Of the commissionerates, Lucknow, Kanpur and Varanasi have got three companies each of the paramilitary personnel, while Gautam Buddh Nagar got two companies, the officials said.

There are 25 districts which have got just one company of the paramilitary personnel, while 35 districts got two, 17 got three and one got four companies, they added.