Kannut,10 Dec (H.S.): Kannur district has been placed under an unprecedented security blanket ahead of Thursday’s local body elections, with over 5,000 police personnel deployed to guard the state’s highest concentration of sensitive polling booths.

Of the 2,513 booths classified as sensitive across Kerala, a staggering 1,025 are located in Kannur alone, prompting authorities to roll out intensified security measures.

Police officials said the deployment aims to prevent any untoward incidents in a district historically known for political rivalries and clashes.

A total of 2,500 police personnel have been stationed within the Kannur City Police limits, while 2,600 officers have been posted across rural areas.

In addition, 125 members of the Rapid Action Force have been deployed as part of emergency response preparation.

Web-casting facilities will be operational at all sensitive and highly sensitive polling booths, enabling real-time surveillance of the voting process.

Under the Kannur City Police jurisdiction, 602 booths have been categorised as sensitive, while 423 fall under the Rural Police.

Senior officials said live visuals will be continuously monitored to ensure transparency and immediate intervention in case of disturbances.

In Maoist-affected regions, a 150-member Special Operations team has been deployed as a precautionary measure.

A total of 50 booths in the district have been designated as “prone to Maoist threat,” with 21 located in the Iritty police subdivision.

Most of these booths are situated in the Aralam, Ayyankunnu and Ulikkal panchayats.

A police assessment revealed that one out of every six booths in the Iritty subdivision is sensitive. Of its 170 booths, 25 are highly sensitive and 10 are sensitive. In the Muzhakunnu police station limits, nearly 80 per cent of the polling stations have been classified as sensitive.

A dedicated control room has been set up at the District Collectorate for real-time monitoring of web-casting visuals. The facility is equipped with six large screens and 60 laptops, and 153 officials have been assigned to manage operations. The control room will begin functioning from 5.30 am on polling day, with surveillance starting from the mock poll and continuing until voting concludes. Each monitoring system will be capable of tracking feeds from 18 booths simultaneously.

Despite the heightened alert, officials have expressed cautious relief that Kannur — known for its long history of political violence — has not witnessed any major election-related incidents during the campaign period. Police said strict vigilance will continue on both polling and counting days to ensure a peaceful and fair electoral process.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman