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| Who clicked this face? | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Nov 18: The media in Jammu and Kashmir have come under criticism from the Election Commission of India for violating the election coverage guidelines –courtesy: Jammu and Kashmir Government’s Department of Information and Public Relations.
Despite a common understanding and strict guidelines from the Election Commission, the Department of Information clicked hundreds of photographs inside the polling booths with faces of voters clearly visible. Dozens among them were largely circulated to several media outlets within and outside the state catching eye of the Election Commission.
The Election Commission took a serious note of such coverage which exposes secrecy of the voters has asked the J&K Election Department to take note of this serious lapse. The Election Department has forwarded the case to the Department of Information for which has assured to keep the media persons informed about guidelines. However, what Information Department has not told the Election Commission or State Election Commission Department is the fact all such photographs were taken and circulated by the department itself.
Early Times reproduced one such photograph released by the Information Department which shows a voter casting vote and on closer observation one can make out which party he is voting for. However, to respect the guidelines, we have blurred face of the voter so that he is not identified, at least by our medium.
The commission made its displeasure known to B R Sharma, the chief electoral officer of the state, after several local dailies in Kashmir carried photographs taken inside polling booths, official sources said.
In some photographs, it was clear as to which candidate the voter was casting his/her vote, while a local cable channel last night aired footage taken inside a polling station in Bandipora district.
The Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the state govenrment had also issued a full-page advertisement in an Urdu daily, in which some voters were seen casting votes.
As per the commission guidelines, photography and videography are not permitted inside polling stations. The chief electoral officer said he has directed the district electoral officers not to allow any such activity inside polling stations during the rest of the remaining six phases of elections. |
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