Kolkata, April 28: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers will be deployed in plain clothes when the 142 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal that will be going for polls in the second phase of voting on Wednesday, with special emphasis in the regions which had been traditionally hyper-sensitive as per the records of the 2021 Assembly elections in the state.
Earlier, on Monday, the NIA took over the investigation into a case involving the recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials in West Bengal. Now, following the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) instructions, the NIA sleuths will be deployed on the polling day to prevent the usage of crude bombs on the polling day or even after that.
Earlier on Monday, the NIA also re-registered an earlier FIR dated April 25, 2026, of Uttarkashi Police Station under Bhangar division of Kolkata Police, and formally began its probe. The case relates to the recovery of a large number of crude bombs by the Kolkata Police, which were allegedly being stored at a particular location, posing a serious threat to human life and property.
Officials said the materials were seized during a police operation in the Bhangar area following inputs about suspicious storage of explosive substances. Meanwhile, the ECI on Tuesday had removed Sourav Hazra, the Joint Block Development Officer of Falta block under Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district, on charges of acting in a biased manner.
Hazra, who had been sent to Purulia district with immediate effect, had been replaced by Rama Bhattacharya. The second phase of the Assembly polls will be conducted under unprecedented security cover, with the deployment of 2,407 companies of central forces, including Central Armed Police Forces, the India Reserve Battalion, and personnel from armed police wings of other states, in addition to personnel from West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police. There will be webcasting at all polling stations. The results will be declared on May 4.
IANS
