A contingent of about 500 commandos, snipers and VIP security personnel drawn from various Central Armed Police Forces have been stationed in Delhi.
Security forces have been diligently working to create buffer zones, such as the one established between Churachandpur and Bishnupur. However, this has proven insufficient to quell the unrest.
Even as Union ministers allay misgivings over Agnipath, figures show a meagre 2.4 per cent of the ex-servicemen who applied for a government job could get one as the Centre and the states have been unable to recruit against the reserved quotas. Public sector undertakings (PSUs), ministries, and officials of Sainik Boards have blamed it on the lack of skill among ex-servicemen. They say veterans' inability to qualify in selection exams is one of reasons for this. Also, non-recognition of qualifications obtained from the military are reasons why their recruitment has remained significantly low, pushing them towards low-skill jobs.
From massed band's 'Shankhnaad' to Navy's lilting 'Mission Chandrayaan', mellifluous tunes reverberated across the Raisina Hill in the heart of Delhi as India's rich heritage and towering accomplishments were celebrated during the Beating Retreat ceremony on Monday.
It will be clear whether the voters preferred the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led regime for a third term or the "six guarantees" by the Congress worked any miracles or the BJP's BC chief minister 'mantra' wooed the electors or if there will be a fractured verdict, by tomorrow evening.
The Maharashtra government has requested the Centre to deploy 20 companies of CAPF in the state so that its police personnel, who are overworked during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, can be given some rest, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday.
The situation now in Manipur is "not related to insurgency". It is a clash between two ethnicities and a situation of law and order, CDS Anil Chauhan said.
Rains failed to dampen the spirit of Beating Retreat ceremony held at the historic Vijay Chowk in New Delhi on Sunday as Indian classical tunes played by bands of the armed forces filled the air, marking the end of Republic Day celebrations.
They staged sit-in demonstrations in various localities blocking roads, demanding the removal of Assam Rifles from violence-hit areas and accusing the paramilitary force of "brutality during recent agitations".
The Indian Army guards the Line of Actual Control -- India's border with China -- along with the ITBP.
Of the 59 assembly constituencies, three have been categorised as 'sensitive' and 590 localities marked as 'vulnerable,' according to the police.
The ceremony will begin with the massed band's "Agniveer" tune which will be followed by the enthralling tunes like "Almora", "Kedar Nath", "Sangam Dur", "Queen of Satpura", "Bhagirathi", "Konkan Sundari" by pipes and drums band, the defence ministry statement said.
The situation in Manipur's Imphal valley was calm but tense on Friday morning after a night of violent clashes including an attempt to attack the empty ancestral residence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Group Commander (coordination) B K Jha was admitted to the Central Armed Police Forces Hospital in Greater Noida after he contracted COVID-19 and breathed his last early morning.
While the RLD has fought the just-concluded polls in tie up with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, the office-bearers of the BKU, which was part of the anti-farm laws protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre, insists it is an 'apolitical' group.
In a statement, the ministry of defence said the official winners were picked by panels of judges.
A total of 901 police personnel drawn from the CAPFs and state forces have been awarded various service medals, including for gallant action, on the occasion of the 74th Republic Day, the Union home ministry said Wednesday.
Sources added that in the past one week, 4,000 trucks carrying essential supplies reached the valley via NH 37, which is the only road that is open for now.
The ED officers are conducting raids at 15 places in the state during the day and Sajahan's house is one of them, an officer said.
'Till the time the chief minister continues to have command over the state forces, we don't think that gives any hope of peace coming back to Manipur.'
At least 12 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) reached West Bengal on Saturday morning as the state prepares to go to elections, officials said.
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Union ministry of home affairs to provide two additional companies of the Central Armed Police Forces to secure every polling booth during the Tripura municipal polls.
'It was felt that the counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist grid is intact in the UT and these additional units that were sent in last year can be de-inducted giving them the much required rest, recuperation and training'
It had organised its 83rd anniversary event last year in Jammu after the government asked all paramilitary or CAPF to hold these events outside the national capital.
An order issued by the ministry of home affairs on Wednesday said Deputy Inspector General Meena has been "recalled" by the Central Reserve Police Force. Another CRPF DIG, Rajeev Ranjan Kumar, will be the new CEO of the canteens board with immediate effect for a period of three months, it added.
It's a single phase polling in Mizoram while first phase of assembly elections is underway in Chhattisgarh.
The Army, Assam Rifles, CAPFs and local police have been deployed in vulnerable places.
Rajasthan is all set to vote on Saturday to elect members of a new assembly with the Bharatiya Janata Party aiming to unseat the ruling Congress, which is fighting hard to change the trend of alternate governments in the state.
Five Central Armed Police Forces companies have arrived in Mumbai to help the city police during the fourth phase of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Voting for 10 constituencies was held from 7 am to 3 pm in 10 seats and from 8 am to 5 pm in the rest 10 segments under a thick security blanket of police and paramilitary personnel in the Naxalite-hit Bastar division.
Chairing a meeting to review the security situation in LWE-affected states, Shah said the Modi government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against left wing extremism since 2014.
Taking to Twitter, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said, 'JKP was not consulted before taking any decision on discontinuation of Yatra after conducting 1 km yatra by organizers. The rest of yatra continued #peacefully. There was no security lapse at all. We will provide foolproof security (sic).'
Security has been beefed up across the national capital, especially in New Delhi district, on the eve of the G20 summit with police, paramilitary forces and other agencies maintaining a hawk-eye vigil in the city, officials said on Friday.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, Home Minister Amit Shah said the decision has been taken by the ministry of home affairs after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for opting local products and being self-reliant.
Polling began at 7 am on Saturday for 44 seats in the fourth phase of the West Bengal assembly elections amid tight security, officials said.
The apex court ordered adequate steps to be taken for protecting places of worship.
The govt said those who complete 4 years of service under the scheme would be given priority in the recruitment process.
Polling for assembly polls is underway in Meghalaya and Nagaland, northeastern states the Bharatiya Janata Party rules in alliance with regional powers.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday appealed to people to surrender weapons looted from security forces and warned of legal action against anyone found to be in unauthorised and illegal possession of arms and ammunition.
The MHA asked all state governments to set up a committee for examining requirements of central armed police forces by keeping in view the internal security, intelligence inputs and availability of central forces in nearby locations.
