Authorities have arrested 1,543 people across West Bengal in a sweeping pre-poll crackdown ahead of the second and final phase of Assembly elections, as security agencies stepped up preventive measures to ensure peaceful voting.
The action, carried out over the past 36 hours, follows directives from the Election Commission of India to curb potential unrest in the run-up to polling. Officials said those detained include individuals identified as “troublemakers” based on intelligence inputs, along with a sitting councillor of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Police conducted extensive combing operations, surveillance drives and checkpoint searches across multiple districts. Between Sunday afternoon and early Monday, 1,095 individuals classified as potential instigators were detained, taking the total number of arrests to 1,543 in the past 36 hours.
District-wise data shows that Purba Bardhaman recorded the highest number of arrests at 479, followed by North 24 Parganas with 319 and South 24 Parganas with 246. Other districts also reported significant detentions, including 109 in North Kolkata, 49 in Hooghly, and 32 each in Nadia and Howrah.
Among those detained is Naru Bhagat, a councillor from Purba Bardhaman associated with the TMC. Officials have not yet disclosed the specific charges against him, but his arrest has triggered political reactions in the state.
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Sources said the Election Commission had earlier prepared a list of individuals considered likely to disrupt polling, based on confidential intelligence inputs. However, following a legal challenge in the Calcutta High Court, the Commission clarified that the list was not intended to serve as a basis for arrests.
Instead, law enforcement agencies were instructed to keep such individuals under close watch and proceed with arrests only in cases where there was a clear and immediate threat to public order.
The intensified security measures come amid heightened political tensions and recent incidents of violence, including a shooting in Jagaddal, which had prompted demands for stricter action against alleged anti-social elements.
Officials said preventive action would continue in the final hours leading up to polling. The Election Commission has maintained that the measures are aimed at ensuring voter safety and enabling a free, fair and peaceful election process across the state.
Polling for the final phase is scheduled shortly, with authorities focusing on maintaining law and order across sensitive constituencies.
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