KOLLAM: A circular issued by a city school directing students to bring the voter IDs and Aadhaar cards of their parents for the purpose of linking it has kicked up a row. The chief electoral officer has sought a report and issued orders to withdraw the directive.
The Sree Narayana Public School (SNPS) at Vadakkevila, Kollam, issued a circular to all students last week directing them to bring the voter IDs and Aadhaar cards of their parents for the purpose of linking them in the electoral roll.
According to a parent, the school authorities urged the students to bring the Aadhaar and voter IDs. “I was surprised when my child handed me the circular. In fact, school officials repeatedly urged students to bring the details. I contacted the school administration, which said it was a directive from the collector,” said the parent.
Hemalatha V, principal of SNPS, said as part of a government initiative, officials from the district administration along with Vadakkevila Village officer came to the school and instructed the school officials to collect the voter ID and Aadhaar card numbers of the parents and relatives of the students studying in the school.
“We have a directive from the district administration as well as the Vadakkevila village office. The instruction is part of the government initiative to link the Aadhaar card and voter ID,” she told TNIE.
Meanwhile, an official in the Kollam collectorate told TNIE that such directives are issued to emphasise the importance of linking the Aadhaar and voter ID cards.”Other schools have also been directed to collect the details from parents and relatives,” he said.
However, District Collector Afsana Parveen said no such directives were issued by her office. Sources say that the directive was issued by some Booth Level Officers (BLOs) without the collector’s approval.
Meanwhile, Chief electoral officer Sanjay Kaul told TNIE that an order has been issued to withdraw the direction. “The collector cannot issue such an order. Linking Aadhaar with the electoral system is voluntary. There is a clear directive from the chief electoral officer’s office as well as from the election commission. The collector has assured that strict action will be taken against the BLOs,” he added.