Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Thursday said that the candidates contesting the upcoming municipal and panchayat elections have been put in hired hotels “already guarded by heavy contingents of police and paramilitaries”.

Additional Director General Police law and order and security Muneer Ahmad Khan while talking about the security plans for the poll candidates in future, said, “Government would think about incidental and cluster security after the polls are over.”

Muneer Khan

A news gathering agency quoting Khan said, “The number of candidates for Panchayat and Municipal elections unlike assembly and parliamentary elections is very large and the number of candidates for ongoing civic elections is in thousands. The candidates have to be provided security but police can’t provide security to every individual.”

He said that the strategy for incidental and cluster security arrangements is being given a serious thought and once the Municipal and Panchayat elections are over, the security of the all contestants will be reviewed. “Presently the candidates contesting municipal and Panchayat elections have been lodged in hired hotels already guarded by the heavy contingents of police and paramilitaries.” (With inputs from a local news agency)