Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over a spurt in violence ahead of the final phase elections in the state, DGP Arun Sarangi on Friday asked SPs of eight poll-bound districts to remain watchful on voting day on Saturday. The last phase polls will be held in six Lok Sabha seats and 42 assembly segments spread across Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Puri.
“The intensity of political hostility is having its bearing on the law and order situation and has increased in the last phase of the poll.There were some incidents of pre-poll violence. No casualty was reported. Police response and action have been prompt,” Sarangi said.

Out of 36 election-related cases reported ahead of the last phase elections in the eight districts, the count of cases involving violence is 15, police said. Bulk of the incidents took place in Bhadrak, Balasore and Jajpur. On Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha state president Abhilash Panda and secretary Subrat Kumar Biswal sustained serious head injuries in a clash in Bhadrak district. Police arrested five men for the assault.
To ensure a hassle-free conduct of elections on Saturday, 36,000 police personnel, including 126 companies of central forces, 86 platoons of Odisha Armed Police and 20,500 state civil police personnel have been deployed. While many assembly segments are sensitive from law and order point of view, four assembly constituencies — Balasore, Soro, Bhadrak and Kendrapara — are communally sensitive. Around 21% of the total 10,882 booths in the last phase elections are sensitive. “We have asked SPs to reassess the sensitivity of the booths regularly. Many more booths are considered sensitive because of the emerging political hostility. Our personnel are alert,” said Sarangi.
Four young IPS officers in the rank of sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) have been mobilized in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak and Balasore. Besides, 12 direct recruit deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) have been deployed to assist the local police in those districts. Altogether 42 assembly supervising officers in the rank of additional SP with striking force have been formed. At least 84 DSPs will supervise the law and order situations in the constituencies. Police have set up 21 inter-state check posts on Balasore-West Bengal and Mayurbhanj-Jharkhand borders.

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