India, Oct. 22 -- "Security forces ensured the West Bengal elections ended without any fatalities, setting a new standard for peaceful voting", Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday. This is notable in a State where elections have often been tense. The outcome showed the importance of working together, using intelligence in policing, and closely following operational protocols.

This fell within the wider remit of Central and State security forces, which normally includes election security, festival security, protest security, and border security. In West Bengal, the challenge was particularly acute as previous elections had been marred by violence, intimidation of voters and, in some cases, deaths, which had tended to dominate ...