COIMBATORE: Several incidents of party workers objecting to the use of whistles by security personnel on election duty at polling stations in Coimbatore, Karur and others parts of the state were reported on Thursday, on the grounds that the whistle is the party symbol of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had deployed inter-state home guards and police personnel to assist in maintaining order at polling booths, and many of them carried whistles attached to lanyards and used them to regulate voter queues and control the traffic outside the polling stations. However, this routine practice drew sharp criticism from the supporters of the DMK, AIADMK and NTK, who pointed out that the use of whistles near polling booths could be perceived as indirect promotion of a political symbol.
Following the objections, police personnel were instructed to remove the whistles and keep them inside their pockets.
A similar situation unfolded in Krishnarayapuram Assembly segment in Karur district. At a polling station set up in a government higher secondary school, voters had queued up in large numbers. During crowd regulation, a police officer from Karnataka repeatedly used a whistle, prompting immediate objections from DMK members, including former MLA P Kamaraj. He questioned the use of an item associated with a party symbol inside a polling station, leading to a brief verbal altercation.
Officials later clarified that the officer, being from another state, was unaware of its political significance. The situation was resolved after assurances that the whistle would not be used further.
Similar complaints were reported in Chennai as well. In response, higher authorities issued a blanket directive instructing all personnel to refrain from displaying or using whistles and keep them out of sight to avoid further controversy.