Panchkula, May 11
Tension surfaced after polling in the Panchkula Municipal Corporation elections, as the Congress party alleged a major security lapse at the EVM strongroom set up at Sector 14 PG Girls College in Panchkula. The allegation came after a CCTV camera installed inside the strong room reportedly remained non-functional for nearly one-and-a-half hours.
All Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the civic polls have been stored under tight security in a strong room, where police personnel and multiple CCTV cameras are deployed for round-the-clock surveillance. However, Congress mayoral candidate Sudha Bhardwaj claimed that the main camera monitoring the EVM storage area stopped functioning for around 90 minutes, raising concerns over the security of the machines.
Speaking to reporters, Bhardwaj alleged that Congress representatives had earlier demanded installation of CCTV cameras in all four corners of the strong room, but their request was allegedly ignored by the authorities. She further claimed that the only camera monitoring the EVM storage section remained shut for a significant period.
Following the incident, Congress MLA Chander Mohan Bishnoi, along with party workers, reached the site and questioned officials about the malfunctioning CCTV. Senior administrative officers later arrived at the strong room after receiving information about the issue.
Authorities subsequently called in a technical team to inspect the CCTV system, and the camera was later repaired and returned to service. Officials also conducted an inspection of the strong room premises in the presence of Congress representatives and other candidates, explaining the security arrangements and stating that the main entrance CCTV camera remained operational throughout.
Despite officials’ clarification, the Congress candidate termed the incident serious and said the party would lodge a formal complaint seeking an investigation into the alleged lapse.
