Chennai, May 3 (IANS) Chennai Police Commissioner Abin Dinesh Modak said on Sunday that around 22,000 police personnel will be deployed across the city on May 4 for the counting of votes in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, with comprehensive four-tier security arrangements in place at all counting centres.

In an official statement, the Chennai Metropolitan Police said that polling for the Assembly elections was held across Tamil Nadu on April 23.

Following the completion of voting, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) from the 16 Assembly constituencies under the Chennai Metropolitan Police jurisdiction were transported under tight security by armed police teams.

The EVMs have been securely stored at three designated counting centres in the city — Queen Mary’s College, Loyola College, and Anna University.

Authorities confirmed that all machines remain under constant surveillance and protection.

As per the Commissioner’s directives, elaborate four-layer security arrangements have been established at all three counting centres.

Senior officers, including Additional Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, and Deputy Commissioners, are overseeing the security measures to ensure strict compliance with protocols.

Police officials said round-the-clock security is being maintained at these centres, with personnel deployed in shifts to guarantee uninterrupted monitoring.

Entry into the counting premises has been tightly regulated, and only authorised personnel with valid identification will be allowed access.

For the counting day, apart from the deployment at the three centres, security personnel will also be stationed across key locations in the Chennai Metropolitan area to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incidents.

The deployment will include officers of various ranks such as Additional Commissioners, Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, Inspectors, along with personnel from the Special Police, Armed Police, and Central Armed Police Forces.

Police sources said the extensive arrangements are aimed at ensuring a peaceful, transparent, and incident-free counting process, with adequate measures in place for crowd control and rapid response if required.

–IANS

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