[ Kardak Riba ]
After successfully conducting free, fair and peaceful elections in the 25th Raga assembly constituency, I was directed to report to Daporijo, Upper Subansiri district, to assist the district police for re-polling for the simultaneous elections of 2024.
I reported to Daporijo on 22 April, and the initial plan for me was to supervise the security arrangement in 33-Bogiya Siyum. Later, on the night of 22 April, after dispatching the polling team with security personnel for 34-Jimbari, intelligence input from various sources and units started coming in regarding possible sabotage of the polling process in 34-Jimbari. Sensing the criticality of the situation and the importance of conducting a free, fair and peaceful re-poll, the authority decided to send me to lead and supervise the re-polling at 34-Jimbari.
I was briefed by the Upper Subansiri SP that I would have to travel by vehicle for approximately till Siyum – the last motorable road – and then set out on a foot march for 7-8hours to reach my destination. Wasting no time, basic necessary eatables, a sleeping bag, emergency light, and first aid were arranged from Daporijo market. One satellite phone was made available to me by the SP (T), who was also already in Daporijo for re-poll duty.
On 23 April, I, along with my driver, two PSOs, and a jawan from the Daporijo police station as a local guide, started from Daporijo at around 2 in the morning and,after almost five hours of adventurous ride, reached Siyum, where the Raga DSP, the Special Task Force, the CRPF, the executive magistrates, and the polling teams were waiting for me. They had reached Siyum the previous evening and had halted.
Since the re-polling was declared on 21 April, and 24April was fixed as the date, without giving much time for preparation of re-polling, and on top of that, 34-Jimbari being P-2 (two days’ journey), the force had to move immediately from Daporijo on 22 April, without carrying necessary ration as required.
The plan was to move the force for area domination first and necessity admin/logistics to follow. But the plan couldn’t be materialised due to heavy rain all night. Since the force couldn’t wait longer at Siyum, necessary ration was somehow managed from Siyum.
The force was served khichdi (rice mixed with dal) as brunch, and we started the foot march from Siyum. The forces travelled by buses and trucks, and couldn’t go beyond Siyum. The EVM and other logistics were somehow escorted till Kampong village by an SUV (4×4). It was pouring nonstop and testing our endurance. The hilly slope was very slippery due to continuous rain, and manoeuvring it was a very challenging task. We started counting by looking at the wristwatch almost every 10 minutes and calculating in the mind the distance covered and the remaining distance.
As inputs were there regarding possible sabotage of the poll team, a road opening party/ADP was detailed, which was led by the Kamle DSP, and I led a team providing security coverage to the EVM and other polling materials. Another input was regarding some females leading the possible sabotage; as such, lady constables among our force components were very important. Three lady constables were detailed for the job, and they showedtremendous courage, manoeuvring the hilly and rough terrain despite the rain and darkness.
After seven long hours of trekking, crossing many streams, rocks, and dense jungles, we reached our destination, Jimbari village, where re-polling for 34-Jimbari was to be conducted on 24 April. Jimbari is the last village under Nacho constituency, towards Mechukha and China.
Now, after reaching Jimbari, the main challenge was accommodation for the security force and the polling team. After trekking for nearly seven hours, all the personnel were very tired, and continuous rain had worsened the situation. Immediately, with the help of the circle officer, a meeting with the GBs of the village was conducted to solve the accommodation problem. Accommodating approximately 120 security personnel, including the polling teams, in a remote village was not an easy task, especially in 14 odd houses. It was also learnt from the GBs and villagers that about 55 percent of the voters out of 696 enrolled voters under 34-Jimbari now reside in Daporijo, the ICR, and Mechukha, besides other districts and states, and they also returned on 23April for voting. So, practically, extra accommodation was needed for around 160 odd persons. Twenty-thirty personnel were accommodated in one house, and using the bathroom/toilet was a distant dream. The male staff could somewhat adjust, but the lady staff had a tough time.
Somehow, the long night passed, and early in the morning, as per the time scheduled, the re-polling was started. From the start of the re-polling, the miscreants tried their level best to sabotage the poll process, but the situation was dealt with tactfully and with an iron hand in a velvet glove.
After the completion of the voting process and all the paperwork, the plan was to halt the night at Jimbari and start for the strongroom/receiving centre by the first light of the next day. But the situation became tense, and it was decided that moving out from the village as soon as possible was in the best interest for the safety of the polled EVMs. Immediately, the decision to move was conveyed to the security personnel and the polling team. A moment of silence ensued after the announcement. The lady constables raised their hands and said, “Sir, humlog tayaar hai jane keliye.” Seeing the vigour of the lady constables, all others also echoed: “Himlog bhi tayaar hai sahab.”
Again, there were inputs of possible sabotage to cause damage to the EVM en route back, and some even shouted that they would see how we would escort the EVM safely till Daporijo. As per the SOP, a road opening team was detailed, followed by an advance team. Each team had a component of the polling team. The main team was led by me to ensure 100 percent security of the EVM. The EVM and other polling materials were packed in such a way that in a normal case, that too in such darkness, it was not possible for the miscreants to identify and attack the EVM even if they planned or tried.
We started from Jimbari village at around 3:45 pm on 24April and, after braving the rain and darkness, reached the receiving centre/strongroom in Daporijo on 25 April at 5:35 in the morning. The EVM with all the polling materials was successfully escorted back to Daporijo and deposited.
There were muscle cramps, knee pain, ligaments tear, tiredness to death owing to not having slept the whole night and walking almost 45 kms for two days with practically no roads for almost 30 percent of the foot journey. But a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment of the task overshadowed all.
The wonderful and selfless women of Jimbari who came forward and cooked and served the STF jawans for two days will leave a lasting impression in our hearts. We cannot give anything to them but just pray for their good health and prosperous life with at least minimum health facilities and education for their children. Hopefully, by 2029, all the polling stations in the state will become motorable. (The contributor is Superintendent of Police, Kamle)