Date:08/12/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/12/08/stories/2003120805111100.htm

National

Charges baseless, says CRPF chief

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI DEC. 7. The Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force, S.C. Chaube, today termed as ``completely baseless and unfair'' allegations by the former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, that the CRPF was engaged in rigging the elections in the tribal areas of the Bastar district resulting in a serious setback to the Congress.

At a press conference here, Mr. Chaube asserted that the CRPF was deployed in Chhattisgarh at the request of the Ajit Jogi Government to ``maintain'' law and order and ward off threats of naxalites and other lawless elements. The CRPF was not deployed at the polling booths or for carrying electronic voting machines (EVMs) to various polling stations.

Also, the custody of the EVMs and other polling material was the responsibility of the Polling Officers, he clarified.

Referring to the relatively high voter turnout in the naxalite-prone Bastar district, Mr. Chaube claimed that this was due to the sense of security among the voters because of the presence of the CRPF personnel in large numbers.

``In the previous polls, people did not come out to vote fearing violence by the naxalites,'' he said.

Stating that as many as 11 CRPF battalions were deployed in the State for free, fair and peaceful elections, he informed mediapersons that in the past 15 days the force stoutly repulsed about 30 attacks designed to intimidate the public and the State agencies.