A camp of the BSF which was set up on the hills for conducting the Polls at Dhansa village was attacked just a day preceding the elections (on the night of 14th/15th April 2009). Part of another detailed story, this attack on the BSF Camp due to which polling had to be adjourned on 16th April at 6 hill booths was taken as a big challenge by the District Administration for the restoration of normalcy in the region.  To conduct proper polls at the same places to ensure proper participation of the villagers, a major operation was planned and worked out jointly with the district administration to dominate the hills in wake of all possible threats for the re-conduct of adjourned polls on 9th May, 2009. Arrangements had to be made for safe night camps by the police forces, and drilling had to be done to get water as there was scarcity during peak summer. Teams of Public Health and Engineering Department were taken along with the police teams to the hills under proper police escort to provide sanitation facilities for the camping teams. All movements and deployment of forces was worked meticulously with all tactical elements and possible threats, taken into consideration.

The major two day operational plan to conduct elections on the hills was started on 8.5.2009 at 0300 hrs. The plan succeeded with the retreat of forces from naxal affected areas to safe areas by 2000 hrs on 9.5.2009. All arrangements for the poll, which included deployment and withdrawal of 14 coys of CPF and 200 men from SAP, apart from regular district police, was done successfully during this period. The people on the hills participated in large numbers in the polls with a 50% turnout at Dhansa, which earlier had witnessed attack on the camp of the BSF. This made the whole experiment a major success. All this planning would not have been possible without good personal topographical knowledge and successive efforts by the Police in domination of the hills. Personally, I consider the conduct of safe, free and fair elections on the hills as the toughest assignment in those times of ongoing struggle on the hills.

To be continued.....