The Union Home Ministry has extended for the second time the deployment of 273 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies in Delhi till October 31, in view of the possibility of "flash protests" by political and other groups, official sources said on Friday, PTI reported.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

The companies were first brought to Delhi for the protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) earlier this month. The Ministry of Home Affairs directed Delhi Police and the respective CAPFs on October 22 to coordinate the deployment, and the extension was approved at Delhi Police's request, the sources said. A similar extension had been sanctioned in mid-October.

Of the 273 companies, 125 are from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including 20 women personnel units; 20 are from the Rapid Action Force (RAF); 46 from the Border Security Force (BSF); 39 from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP); 31 from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB); and 12 from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). A CAPF company has a sanctioned strength of 100 personnel, though its effective operational strength is about 70-72.

Parts of Delhi witnessed CJP protests on October 9 seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — allegations the protesters make; opposition parties later staged protests with the same demand, and the CJP held a 'Lehra Do Tiranga' demonstration on October 16.