Cops, Collector put brakes on protest by Goans against EVM in Panjim
Team Herald
PANJIM: Goans against EVM, a civil society organization which had gathered outside Ambedkar garden in Panjim on Monday were stopped from holding a protest. The official from Collector’s office cited the code of conduct as the reason for banning the protest. The official told the protest leaders to send the people home and only five people would be allowed to address the press, outside the Ambedkar garden. A strong posse of policemen were present at the site.
The protestors were demanding scrapping of EVMs and holding of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections through ballot papers. Wilbur Ticlo from Porvorim said, “Two people from their group would be standing outside the strong room 24×7 to see that there is no heera-pheri. Sometimes the ballot boxes or EVMs disappear, so we will fiercely guard the strong rooms. We want voting through ballot papers. Why is it taking so much time to declare the results. Results should be declared as early as possible like previously.”
Manuel Cardozo said, “The number of policemen at the protest site are more than the people. It would well serve the purpose to deploy the police for a better purpose. We have not come here to indulge in goondagiri. We had come here for a peaceful protest and to convey the message that we are against EVMs. We challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cross the 400 seats mark by using ballot papers. From this it is clear that they will do so by manipulating the EVMs.”
Later the protestors held a press conference against holding of the election using electronic voting machines in Goa. The protesters demand a ban on EVM citing alleged faults and in accuracy in the electoral machine. They expressed concern over potential tampering, claiming that voters tendering to one contestant will be registered on another name.
In a surprising development, the Election Commission of India put a message above the Herald TV You Tube story on the protest as also over the You Tube stories posted by other channels. The message read “The strong technical safeguards in electronic voting machines and elaborate administrative safeguards, procedures and security put in place by ECI ensure that the elections are transparent, free and fair.” If one clicked the message it would take one to the website of the Election Commission and point to FAQs on EVMs.
