Additional CAPF personnel to beef up security of central agency officials in Bengal

Kolkata, Jan 23 (IANS) Following the January 5 attack on ED and CAPF officials at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, the officials of the different central investigating agencies probing the various scams in the state will get additional Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel for their security during future raid and search operations.

Sources said a proposal has been cleared by the Union Home Ministry to allot one additional company of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for the security of central probe agency officials.

Currently, a total of two companies of CAPF are allotted for this purpose. For the time being, sources added, the third company will mainly be kept in reserve.

However, sources said that when on a single day, the number of simultaneous raids by the central agencies will be more, the personnel from the reserve company will be included in the escorting team.

This is to ensure that not a single team of central agency officials goes for raid and search operations without adequate security cover of CAPF personnel.

Already since the attack on January 5, the escorting CAPF personnel have started taking extra precautions while accompanying the central officials. They are going to raid spots with the protection of metal helmets and cane-shields.

Besides carrying automatic firearms, as they used to before, they are now also carrying charge-batons and teargas shells that might come handy to disperse a mob or gathering near the raid spots.

Meanwhile, even after 18 days since the attack took place, Trinamool Congress leader and the accused mastermind behind the January 5 incident, Sheikh Shahjahan, is still absconding. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already issued a lookout notice against him in anticipation that he might escape to Bangladesh, whose international borders with India are quite close to the place where the attack took place.