The electronic voting machines (EVMs) from five Lok Sabha constituencies in and around Calcutta have been kept in 15 strong rooms guarded by multiple layers of security by Calcutta Police or Bengal police and the central security forces.
The elections were held in seven phases in Bengal.
Fourteen of the strong rooms are located in the Calcutta Police area and one is in Barasat.
All are sealed and under CCTV surveillance.
The four constituencies from where the EVMs have been brought to the 15 strong rooms are Calcutta North, Calcutta South, Jadavpur and Diamond Harbour.
The EVMs from the Barasat Lok Sabha constituency have been kept in a strong room in Barasat Government College.
The 15 strong rooms in and around Calcutta are located on the following premises. Some of the premises have multiple strong rooms.
• Khudiram Anushilan Kendra, BBD Bag area
• Hastings House, Alipore
• Vijaygarh Jyotish Ray College, Jadavpur
• Gitanjali Stadium, Kasba
• Vivekananda College, Thakurpukur
• Bratachari Vidyasram, Joka
• St Thomas’ Boys’ School, Kidderpore
• Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls High School, Lord Sinha Road
• Ballygunge Government High School, Ballygunge
• Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University, Ballygunge Circular Road
•Barasat Government College
Security arrangements
Meeraj Khalid, joint commissioner (headquarters), Calcutta Police, said the security arrangements of the strong rooms have been made in compliance with the Election Commission of India’s order. The inner perimeter is being guarded by the central armed police forces and the external perimeter by the state armed police. The arrangements are the same at Barasat Government College, too.
Deployment
- The first tier of the security ring will start from a 100-metre periphery around the counting premises, which should be demarcated as a “pedestrian zone”. No vehicles will be allowed within this perimeter.
- The external perimeter of the strong rooms, which include the parking area outside the venue and the gates of the premises, are being manned by Calcutta Police or Bengal police.
- The security of the area between the main gate of the compound and the strong room is also the responsibility of Calcutta Police or Bengal police.
- Before being allowed entry into the second cordon, he or she is frisked by the police to ensure prohibited items such as matchbox, arms or flammable articles are not carried inside.
- The rooms where the EVMs have been kept are under lock and key and being guarded by armed central forces.
- Mobile phones are prohibited inside the strong rooms.
- The strong rooms are under 24X7 CCTV surveillance. “The CCTV camera feed is being monitored round-the-clock to ensure there is no unauthorised entry,” said an election official.
Counting
The counting of votes will start at 8am on Tuesday. The strong rooms will be opened only at that time.