Unprecedented Meeting of Central Armed Police Forces in Kolkata Raises Concerns
An unprecedented meeting of the Central Armed Police Forces in Kolkata has sparked significant political controversy. With top officials from various units gathering ahead of the elections, the ruling Trinamool Congress has accused the central government of planning a military-style takeover. This historic assembly has raised alarms about security arrangements in sensitive regions, leading to heated debates among political leaders and analysts. As the voting dates approach, the implications of this meeting could have far-reaching effects on the electoral landscape in West Bengal. Read on to discover more about the reactions and the potential impact of this gathering.
| Apr 21, 2026, 18:22 IST
Historic Gathering of CAPF Units in Kolkata
Last week, an extraordinary assembly took place at the renowned Science City in Kolkata, involving all units of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The sight was remarkable, with chiefs from the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB gathered under one roof alongside hundreds of personnel in a packed conference hall of an election-bound state. The scale of this gathering has intensified the ongoing confrontation between the central government and West Bengal; the ruling Trinamool Congress has accused it of resembling a military-style takeover rather than a routine meeting. In fact, such a joint meeting of all CAPF unit heads, who report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, has never occurred during any assembly elections before. A senior CAPF official even acknowledged that this meeting, aimed at reviewing security arrangements in the election state, was unprecedented. Voting is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, and April 29.
Political Reactions to the Meeting
Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra has taken the lead in criticizing this situation, alleging that the Home Ministry is reducing the number of CAPF personnel in sensitive areas like Kashmir and Manipur to deploy them in Bengal. On the first anniversary of the Pahalgam attack, she urged not to mock national security, claiming that the BJP and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have brought top CAPF officials to Bengal to orchestrate a military-style plan for seizing power! Even journalists and political analysts struggled to recall when such a large-scale meeting occurred in another state previously.