New Delhi: In an effort to ensure peaceful, fair and free polling on Tuesday (Apr 21, 2004), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has deployed 757 companies across 15 States going to polls in the first phase.

Nominated by Government as chief coordinating agency of paramilitary forces for conducting the Lok Sabha elections, Central Reserve Police Force is also monitoring movement of other Central forces to their areas of deployment.

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Of the 757 companies of CRPF, 205 are additional deployments, while rest are those already deployed and engaged for the democratic exercise, CRPF spokesperson D G Mohapatra said today (Apr 18, 2004).

Largest chunk of deployment has been made in terrorism-infested Jammu and Kashmir where 280 companies have been put on poll duty, he said.

Another 136 companies have been deployed in Assam, 77 in naxal-affected Andhra Pradesh, 46 in Bihar, 50 in Jharkhand, 35 in Chhattisgarh, 64 in Manipur, 15 in Meghalaya, 25 in Orissa, 10 in Mizoram, 10 in Gujarat, five in Karnataka, three in Andaman and Nicobar islands and one in Daman and Diu.

Senior officers of the force have been deputed as nodal officers for the polls and they have reached their assigned destinations, Mohapatra said.

He said that the CRPF personnel deployed for poll duties have been adequately equipped and properly briefed to meet any eventuality.

"The force is fully prepared to foil any nefarious designs to disrupt free, fair and peaceful polling," he said.