Agartala, April 10 The Union home ministry has sanctioned 24 companies of central paramilitary forces for the April 12 elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, an official said on Friday.
Four companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have already arrived in the state. One company of CAPF typically consists of 100 to 135 personnel.
"The MHA has sanctioned 24 companies of central forces for the tribal council elections. Out of these 24 companies, four have already arrived in the state, while the remaining 20 companies will be reaching very shortly," the official said.
The additional central forces, comprising BSF, SSG and CRPF, will be deployed in sensitive tribal-dominated areas before the voting for the 28 tribal council seats.
This is in addition to the 11,000 security personnel already engaged in poll-related duties.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, while addressing rallies recently, said that violent incidents had been reported from 40 places in the state since the announcement of the elections.
He had also warned, "The government will not allow any force to capture the tribal council through violence, threats, and intimidation."
Out of the 1,257 polling booths for the April 12 elections, 311 have been identified as highly critical from a security point of view.
