Election officials have been advised not to cause unnecessary hardships to tourists and members of the public during inspections conducted by static surveillance teams and flying squads to curb misuse of unaccounted money in the Lok Sabha elections.
The Election Commission of India issued an advisory in this regard on Wednesday in response to an incident in Tamil Nadu where election officials had seized money from tourists. The Commission said it has taken “serious note of the incident.” The advisory urged Chief Electoral Officers in the States and Union Territories to make sure that tourists who carry cash with them for travel and accommodation are not harassed because they lack supporting documents.
It noted that tourists may not be in possession of supporting documents, but a “simple enquiry” can establish their identity as tourists and that they are not in any way connected to the elections. “Therefore, they should not be subjected to unnecessary enquiries which may lead to harassment,” it said.
