Security breach in PAU strong room, alleges AAP

Mohit Khanna & Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 6

A controversy erupted after AAP’s Dakha candidate HS Phoolka alleged that Returning Officer (RO) Gagandeep Singh Virk and eight others entered a strong room at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) here.

“Virk and other men spent nearly half an hour in the strong room, where EVMs of the Gill Assembly constituency are kept. They entered the strong room around 11am,” he claimed before the media.

An AAP volunteer, Phoolka said, spotted Virk and others entering the strong room. “He informed AAP leaders Darshan Shankar and Suresh Goyal, and party’s Gill nominee Jiwan Singh Sangowal.”

“When AAP leaders present in PAU objected, the RO and others left the scene, claiming they had forgotten some valuables in the strong room,” the Dakha nominee claimed.

Phoolka said the EC and police had been informed and AAP was proceeding with a criminal trespass case against Virk. “In view of today’s incident, I have decided to visit all strong rooms in the state.”

Virk said that being the RO, he could visit the site, where the EVMs were kept, to ensure that everything was in order. “For this, it is not mandatory to take along candidates every time. I can visit and check the safety aspects from outside. I have not done anything wrong. It was a routine visit,” he said, adding AAP leaders were levelling baseless allegations and CCTV footage would reveal the truth.

Later, DC-cum-District Electoral Officer Ravi Bhagat sent Sangowal and others to the site (PAU) so that “they can check for themselves the CCTV footage and the security arrangements”. “There was no breach in the strong room. Everything remains under seal and tight security,” he said.