The Union home ministry has extended for the second time the deployment of 273 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies in the national capital till October 31 in view of the possibility of “flash protests” by political and other groups, official sources said on Friday.
The companies were brought to Delhi for the protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) earlier this month.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directed the Delhi Police and the respective CAPFs on October 22 to coordinate the deployment, the sources told PTI.
The extension was approved at the request of the Delhi Police, they said, adding that a similar extension had been sanctioned in mid-October.
Officials said the Delhi Police had informed the ministry that there was a possibility of flash protests being undertaken by political and other outfits in various “sensitive” locations of the city. The extension of the deployment was essential in order to ensure proper law and order, they said.
The MHA has approved the request, the sources said.
Of the 273 companies that will continue to remain deployed in Delhi alongside the local police, 125 are from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including 20 women personnel units; 20 from the Rapid Action Force (RAF); 46 from the Border Security Force (BSF); 39 from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP); 31 from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB); and 12 from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
A CAPF company has a sanctioned strength of 100 personnel, but its effective operational manpower is about 70-72 personnel.
Parts of Delhi witnessed CJP protests on October 9 seeking the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties subsequently staged protests with the same demand.
The CJP also held a ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ demonstration on October 16. (Agencies)
