For free and fair polls: Over 25 lakh suspects bound down in Uttar Pradesh

To ensure peace during elections, notices of preventive action under CrPC have been sent to bound down 27.52 lakh people, state election commission (EC) officials said on Tuesday.

They said, of the 27.52 lakh people, 25.27 lakh have already been bound down.

To be ‘bound down’ in legal terms means that one is required to appear at a certain date before an investigating officer or a court. In court orders, it means that an accused is bound to appear in front of authorities by a personal guarantee or surety.

EC officials said police have recovered 9,393 unlicensed weapons, 9,487 cartridges, 3019.32 kilograms of explosives, 539 crude bombs to ensure free and fair polls in the state.

The police also sealed 179 of the total 4329 centers where raids were carried out on suspicion that illegal weapons were being manufactured there.

State chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said: “ECI guidelines are being strictly followed to maintain law and order in U.P. The model code of conduct is effective from March 16 in the entire state to ensure free, fair, peaceful, inducement-free, inclusive and safe voting.”

He said: “Action is being taken by police, income tax, excise, narcotics and other departments in compliance with the ECI instructions. Notices have been sent to bound down as many as 27,52,463 people and out of which 25,27, 396 people have already bound down. Apart from this, a huge cache of unlicensed weapons, cartridges, explosives and crude bombs have been seized by the police.”

For intensive checking, 464 inter-state check posts and 1730 check posts are operational within the state for strict compliance of the model code of conduct. Police has seized 537 licenced firearms and cancelled 4736 licenced weapons between March 16 to May 13.

Liquor, drugs, valuables and cash worth ?419 cr confiscated

Liquor, drugs valuables and cash worth ?419.35 crore was seized during crackdown launched by the law enforcement agencies in the state.

The crackdown, including seizure worth ?1.69 crore on Monday itself, is in compliance of the ECI directives to ensure free, fair and peaceful Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Chief electoral officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa said: “The stringent enforcement of the model code of conduct in the state aims to ensure a fair, inclusive, and secure electoral process free from inducements. From March 1 to May 13, a concerted effort by various enforcement agencies—including excise, income tax, police and narcotics department—led to the confiscation of items valued at ?419.35 crore.

He said, the seizure included cash worth ?33.89 crore, liquor ( ?52.33 crore), drugs ( ?23.89 crore), valuable metals ( ?22.89 crore), other gift items ( ?50.19 crore) and miscellaneous things worth ?27.55 crore.

On Monday, (May 13), excise, income tax, police, narcotics department and other enforcement agencies seized a total of ?1.69 crore worth of liquor, drugs, and cash. This included cash worth ?7.05 lakh, 14201.49 liters of liquor worth ?36.40 lakh, 107. 51 kilograms of drugs worth ?42.60 lakh, 61054 gift items worth ?83.29 lakh and miscellaneous items worth ?40,000.

Authorities also seized 66 grams of drugs valued around ?13.20 lakh in Gangoh assembly seat of Saharanpur and 5.92 kilogram of drugs worth ?13.71 lakh were confiscated in the Agra South assembly constituency.