PANJIM: The Goa police registered cases against five persons for violating model code of conduct in force for the Goa Assembly elections.
Of the five cases, two voters were booked for clicking photograph of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) while voting inside the polling booths.
Giving details of the cases, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rajesh Kumar on Monday said that the Ponda police registered a case against one Gitesh Naik for taking photograph of the EVM from his smart mobile phone handset at one of the polling stations.
Similar case was reported at the Porvorim police station where a voter was found taking photograph of the EVM while standing inside the voting complaint, Kumar said adding that in both the voters could face two years imprisonment for the offence.
In both the cases, the polling staff noticed them taking photographs and handed them over to the policemen deployed at the polling stations.
The police have registered case against both the voters under the relevant section of Representation of People’s Act, 1951 and under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The IGP said that following both the incidents, the voters were stopped from taking their mobile phone handset inside the polling booths. “It was a learning exercise for us,” said Kumar.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kunal said that the secretary of voting is paramount and in both the cases, the voters had violated the secrecy.
The Bicholim police registered a case against some unidentified persons for setting fire to a car belonging to a relative of one of the political party candidate on Sunday night. Following a complaint, the police obtained CCTV footage, IGP Kumar said adding that the police will certainly arrest the accused as the investigation is on.
At Collem the flying squad arrested a person for carrying cash amounting to Rs 1,19,270 on Sunday night.
The Old Goa police registered a case against some persons for restraining a elector from exercising his franchise.
When asked whether the police received a complaint against one of the candidates luring voters by money in Navelim constituency, the IGP said that when the police reached the spot nobody was found there.
