The first litmus test of paramilitary forces in Uttar Pradesh will be on April 7 when eight constituencies in Etah, state’s kidnapping capital, go to polls. This volatile western UP district has a history of poll-related violence.

Police here say six people with political affiliations have been murdered in the district since the election notification on March 13. Etah District Magistrate Chandra Bhanu says at least a dozen poll-related murders have been reported in the past each time the district has gone to polls. Not only this. Murder of more than 80 people with political affiliations have been reported from Etah since the Samajwadi Party came to power with 11 people being killed in the last panchayat polls alone. Etah is an SP stronghold with all eight seats having sitting SP MLAs. Its main rival is the BSP.

On its part, the EC is taking no chances. Out of the eight, five constituencies have been declared hyper-sensitive and the rest sensitive. Out of the 1,503 villages in the district, 1,279 have been declared hyper-sensitive. A record number of 76 companies of paramilitary forces have turned Etah into a virtual cantonment. District officials concede that Rahul Gandhi did not bring his roadshow to Etah after the SPG toured the district and found the security situation inadequate.

“All the hyper-sensitive villages have been handed over to the paramilitary forces who are patrolling the area and taking out flag marches. The forces have shoot-at-sight orders at any attempt of booth-capturing or EVM tampering,” says the DM.

... contd.