Media persons not allowed to enter Ldh 1 counting centre

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 22

While the district administration claimed to have ensured fair elections to the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti, it didn’t allow media persons to visit one of the counting centres.

The police did not allow the media persons to visit the counting centre for Ludhiana 1 Block that was set up at SCD Government College in Ludhiana. Later, they were even asked to leave the college premises. Actually, identity cards were not issued to the media persons for coverage of the elections.

The police deployed at the college stated that they had received instructions from the higher authorities that media persons with the ID cards for election coverage would only be allowed to enter the counting centre and stay on the college premises.

The supporters of the Opposition parties also raised questions as to why the media was not allowed to visit the counting centres. Many supporters of the candidates were allowed to roam around in the college. During the Ludhiana MC elections last time, the ID cards were issued to the media persons and they were allowed to visit the counting centres.

District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Agrawal said: “The DPRO issues the identity cards, not the district administration. It was the responsibility of the media persons to apply for ID cards for election coverage. Moreover, we have not received any such complaint at other centres.”

Meanwhile, DPRO Prabhdeep Singh said: “No special ID cards for election coverage were issued to the media persons in the district. However, the media persons were allowed to visit the counting centres by showing pink and yellow cards.”

But, the police at SCD Government College refused to allow entry to the media persons who even showed their yellow or pink cards.