M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, May 24: Palamu police are taking extra note of the polling agents in the third phase of the voting which is underway today.
Sources said complaints were lodged about some polling agents being shooed away by strong agents of the powerful candidates.
Palamu SP Chandan Kumar Sinha said he personally intercepted a polling agent and got his paper verified. The polling agent turned out to be a bonafide one.
The SP agreed there were some complaints about some polling agents shown the exit during the voting period by some muscle twisting polling agents of other candidates in the earlier phases of the elections.
He said the complaints have no substance so far. “There is no detection of any impersonation of the polling agent. Nevertheless, we have directed our security forces to be on guard against any smart move of any one in this regard,” the SP said.
The third phase of the panchayat elections in Palamu has two challenging turfs, Panki and Manatu. These blocks have a long list of obstructive evidences of the Maoists at the hustings in the past.
SP Chandan said, “We also hold Panki and Manatu as challenging as ever but we have equally made strategic planning to abort any aberration.”
Sources said although the CRPF is not directly involved in this ongoing democratic exercise but it is doing a peripheral area dominance to keep naxals at bay.
