C.I.D. Reporters at Conferences.

It appears the General Secretary of the Bombay Provincial Conference at Ahmedabad and the local District Magistrate were at loggerheads in the time of admission of C.I.D. reporters to the sittings of the Conference. The Secretary was asked to admit them and to give them seats among the press reporters. The Secretary pointed out that there was no authority in law for such a course, and that members of C.I.D. could secure admission as members of the public. The magistrate insisted on the right of the Government to have police admitted to all places to secure decent conduct of assemblies and to maintain order. The Secretary admitted the reporters to the pandal under protest but wrote to the District Magistrate saying that there had been no apprehensions as regards the conduct of the assembly and the plea was an after-thought to secure admission for the C.I.D. men. A similar position arose at Lahore at the time of the last Congress session when a request was made to allow admission to police reporters in the Press gallery.