To guard the 3,500 sensitive polling booths, which were identified by the Election Commission outside Chennai, around a lakh police personnel and military veterans will be deployed in the areas, said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) for Law and Order, C. Sylendra Babu.

Briefing media persons after the inspection meeting with police officials regarding security in Coimbatore, the Nilgiris and Tirupur during the elections on Wednesday at the Coimbatore Commissioner Office, Sylendra Babu said that personnel from 282 battalions would be used for security purposes.

“Around 60,000 police, 40,000 from Central Armed Reserve, Home Guards and military veterans will be posted in the sensitive booths,” he said.

He further added that each battalion would have 70 police personnel and 175 battalions had already arrived in the State.

“Maoist movements were confirmed in the Kerala – Tamil Nadu border recently and three teams each of Special Task Force (STF) personnel will be used in the polling booths in the district adjoining the borders, including the Nilgiris and Coimbatore,” he informed.

Claiming that around 3,200 cases have been filed under the Model Code of Conduct along with 51 under Prevention of Violence Act, Sylendra Babu also added that around 8,500 suspects had been interrogated by the respective Revenue officials based on doubt and around 20,000 guns had been handed over to the police out of the identified 22,000.

Commissioner of Police of Coimbatore and Tirupur, Superintendent of Police from Coimbatore, Tirupur and the Nilgiris also participated in the inspection meeting.