Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, Apr 18:

A three-tier security arrangement is in place at the BJB Autonomous College in Odisha's state capital to guard the sealed electronic voting machines (EVMS) stored inside the strongroom, the Commissioner of Police (CP) Dr R P Sharma said today.

A total of 1800 EVMs used across five Assembly constituencies- Begunia, Jatni,  Bhubaneswar Ekamra, Bhubaneswar North and Bhubaneswar Middle- that come under the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency have been stored in the strongroom at the BJB College s informed BMC Commissioner Dr Kishan Kumar who was the district election officer.

File pic ( source : tribuneindia.com) File pic ( source : tribuneindia.com)

EVMs of other two constituencies assembly have been kept in an strong room in Khurda, sources said.

Three platoons of police have been deployed to keep a tight vigil over the EVMs as part of a three-layered security system.

One platoon of  CRPF jawans have been deployed near the strong room while a second layer comprising one platoon of Central Paramilitary Force (CPMF) is guarding the space immediatelyoutside the strongroom and another platoon of Odisha State Police Force (OSPF) has been deployed in the outer layer, said Dr Sharma.

Apart from these forces, one ACP, two Inspectors, six SIs/ASIs have also been detailed at the EVM strongroom and the entire security system will be supervised by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bhubaneswar.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) units have been installed at both the inner and outer side of the strongroom where the EVMs have been placed for a round the clock vigil, Dr Sharma added.

Political Parties and their representatives have also been informed to pitch their tents near BJB College to guard against any possible suspicious activity.

The returning officers have been directed to go for field visit daily to check the security arrangements in and around the strong room, informed Khurda Collector Salini Pandit at a meeting here with observers and the complainants.

Ms Pandit also said all the complaints filed by aggrieved people or parties will be closely analysed soon.