The government has approved the recruitment of 120,000 Election Security Personnel, formerly known as temporary police, for the election scheduled for March 5.
This decision was taken during a meeting of the Central Security Committee, which sanctioned the Integrated Election Security Plan. The duration for which these personnel will be hired will depend on the budget allocated by the government. A significant decision made was to formally rename the temporary security force from temporary people to 'Election Security Personnel.'
The Integrated Election Security Plan was developed by a committee coordinated by Home Ministry Joint Secretary Ananda Kafle, which included representatives from all security agencies.
While this central plan exists, all district security committees have also been instructed to prepare their respective local security plans.
The meeting also discussed the necessity of deploying the Nepali Army for election security. It was decided to forward a recommendation to the Ministry of Defense for submission to the National Security Council to initiate the Army's operational process.
The plan involves replacing the police and Armed Police Force (APF) personnel currently stationed at critical infrastructure and prisons with Army personnel, thereby freeing up the police and APF to be deployed in greater numbers for the election.
The Nepali Army and APF will also be mobilized for the printing, transportation, and security of ballot papers. The first election-focused security workshop is scheduled for November 25 in Lumbini Province, with subsequent workshops to follow in all other provinces.
Response to protest and meeting attendees
During the Central Security Committee meeting, there was serious deliberation concerning the protest announced by Durga Prasain, starting on November 23. The government plans to closely monitor activities during the protest and take immediate and strict legal action to neutralize any unlawful activities that may incite violence or terrorize the public.
The meeting was chaired by Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal and was attended by key security and administrative officials, including Home Secretary Rameshwar Dangal, Inspector General of Nepal Police Dan Bahadur Karki, Inspector General of the Armed Police Force Raju Aryal, Chief of the National Investigation Department Tekendra Karki, and officials from the Nepali Army.
.
