Prime minister Narendra Modi will be attending the famous Dussehra event tomorrow in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. Additionally, there will be a tight security arrangement in the state ahead of the PM’s visit. However, an order has been issued for the journalists who want to cover the event.
As per the information, for access and security passes to cover Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s daylong visit to Himachal tomorrow, all journalists must show a “character certificate”. Moreover, after his final rally on September 24 in Mandi, was cancelled due to rain, all eyes will be on his tomorrow’s visit.
Also read: Punjabi Singer Alfaaz Hospitalized After Being Attacked In Mohali
However, making the “character certificate” compulsory for journalists to cover the PM’s event, the district administration has sparked a new controversy. Surprisingly, even journalists from the state-run media, including All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan, have been asked to provide certificates of “character verification,” in addition to those working for privately owned print, digital, and news television outlets.
Likewise, the Police also formally issued the notification in this regard on September 29, 2022. Subsequently, the District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) was notified to provide “a certificate of character verification” in addition to a list of all press writers, photographers, videographers, and teams from Doordarshan and AIR.
Moreover, this order has been criticised by the opposition. The Aam Aadmi Party’s state spokesperson Pankaj Pandit condemned the order, stating, “This is not the first time when PM Modi is coming to Himachal. Asking for a character certificate from journalists is an attempt to humiliate the media.”
Interestingly, thousands of party workers and common people will be attending the rally, that too without any certificate or identity proof. However, for journalists, a “character certificate” is mandatory to cover the event, which has sparked a new controversy.
