18/09/2013
KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has finally issued the much awaited Integrated Security Plan (ISP) proposing to deploy army for the November 19 poll security.
The document said to be a blue print of the overall security arrangements during elections proposes the National Security Council (NSC) to prepare for the deployment of Nepal Army to cover up security at the third layer of the polling stations, after Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF). According to sources, NSC has already endorsed MoHA’s proposal for army deployment.
According to plan, around 60,000 army personnel could be deployed at the outer layers of a polling stations. Of the total number of personnel to be deployed for elections security, Nepal Police will deploy around 54,000 personnel – 80 percent of police’s existing force of 67,181 personnel. Around 20,000 personnel will be deployed from the APF. The plan also approves an additional hiring of nearly 40,000 temporary personnel (Myadi police) under Nepal Police.
While handing responsibilities of outer-layer security, air patrolling and bomb disposal, among other arrangements to the army, the security plan decrees Nepal Police to be the major body to provide security at the core areas of the polling stations. The ISP thumbs up an elaborate security strategy as proposed by the police headquarters earlier.
As per the security plans, two mobile police units containing seven personnel each will be deployed to patrol all electoral constituencies. Similarly, a reserve force of 25 personnel will be put stand-by in all districts. Apart from that, back-up forces at the zonal level will have 35 personnel and the ones at the regional level will contain 50 personnel.
The plan also makes a rough outline of the weapons to be provided to the police teams that will be deployed at core and innermost layer of the constituencies and polling stations. According to the plan, security unit to be deployed at a polling station will be given a rifle with 100 bullets and a “short” gun with 14 bullets. Every mobile unit will similarly be given the same number of rifle and bullets, a shot gun with 25 rubber bullets and shrapnel each, a gas gun with 10 tear gas shells, five grenades and two pistols with 14 bullets each.
A district level reserve force, similarly, will be given four rifles with 400 bullets, a shot gun with 25 rubber bullets and shrapnel each, two gas guns with 20 tear gas shells, 10 grenades and two pistols. Bullets and tear gas shells have been increased in numbers for a zonal level reserve force of 35 personnel.
A regional level reserve force, on the other hand, will be given seven rifles with 700 bullets, three pistols with 42 bullets, three gas guns with 30 tear gas shells, 20 grenades and two shot guns with 20 rubber bullets and shrapnel each, among others.
“These are our rough estimates,” said a senior police official, requesting anonymity. “The weapon strategies may change depending on a given situation.”
Meanwhile, the ISP has marked 1,562 polling stations as ‘highly sensitive’ and 3,850 as ‘sensitive’. In the 2008 CA elections, 1,635 of the total 9,824 polling stations were termed highly sensitive, while 3,556 were marked sensitive. 16 districts kept under ‘highly sensitive’ categories by the ISP this time are Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Dang, Nawalparasi, Kapilbastu, Rupandehi, Rolpa, Pyuthan, Kalikot and Taplejung. The categorization was made through an assessment of security situation in these places during last CA elections and their vulnerability towards violence given the records maintained during insurgency and 2007 Madhesh movement, said police Spokesperson DIG Nawa Raj Silwal
