Cuttack: An inter-state coordination meeting was arranged with senior police officers from the neighbouring state of West Bengal on Friday. The event took place at the state police headquarters in Cuttack to conduct an impartial and crime-free General Election 2024, to be held in four phases in May and June.
The meeting was attended by high-ranking officials, including the Director General of State Police, Arun Kumar Sarangi, Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), R. K. Sharma and Director (Intelligence), Saumendra Priyadarshi. West Bengal’s DGP, Sanjay Mukhopadhyay, along with senior police officers and SPs of border districts, were also present in the meeting.
Since the borders of Balswar and Mayurbhanj districts are adjacent to West Bengal, the senior police officers stressed the need for peaceful, impartial and crime-free elections in these districts. DGP Sarangi emphasised the importance of curbing the trafficking of deadly drugs like brown sugar, particularly from places like Lalgola, Murshidabad, and Bardhaman in West Bengal.
The meeting discussed in detail the enforcement of strict checks at border toll gates, vehicle inspections at sensitive locations, and the prevention of illegal activities such as weapons, liquor, drug trade and money laundering. The arrest of the inter-state criminals was also on the agenda.
The meeting revealed that a special plan has been prepared to identify sensitive areas of drug smuggling and prevent election-related violence. Other topics included intelligence sharing, countering fake news on social media, joint inspections at inter-state toll gates, monitoring money transactions through UPI ID, preventing cyber crimes and curbing cannabis smuggling.
The meeting concluded with the decision of special measures being taken to apprehend criminals with warrants and habitual offenders, ensuring a safe and fair election.
