Kottayam: After several media reports surfaced, claiming that Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel pointed guns at election officials near the strong room at Baselius College, the District Election Officer and District Collector Chetan Kumar Meena denied the allegations.

The Collector referred to the reports as ‘completely baseless’ and said that they do not reflect the reality of the situation.

The Collector said that while there were certain concerns regarding the custody of the keys to the strong room, he had personally visited the site along with General Observers. Following this, issues related to strong room security arrangements were addressed transparently in the presence of the General Observer, Returning Officer, representatives of political parties, and polling agents, in line with Election Commission of India (ECI) norms.

The Collector further stated that no ‘untoward incident’ had occurred at any stage and that there was no instance of security personnel pointing guns, as alleged. The District Administration urged media outlets and the public to refrain from circulating unverified information.