After facing backlash, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur has withdrawn a controversial notification seeking ‘certificate for character verification’ from journalists wanting to cover Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Wednesday to Bilaspur for Dussehra celebrations.
“I invite all journalists to cover PM's visit to the State on October 5. We've withdrawn official order & sought explanation from issuing official” , said the Chief Minister after Bilaspur District Administration had earlier issued order demanding "certificate of character verification" from journalists covering Prime Minister’s event. On Wednesday, Modi will inaugurate a slew of developmental projects in the poll-bound Himachal Pradesh including AIIMS at Bilaspur and participate in the famous Kullu Dussehra celebrations during his visit to Himachal Pradesh. The district administration of Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh had ordered journalists looking to cover Modi’s visit to produce character certificates in order to obtain access passes. The order applied not only to privately-owned news publications, but also to public broadcasters All India Radio and Doordarshan as well.
The police, too, issued a notification on September 29 directing the District Public Relations Officer to provide a list of all “correspondents, photographers, videographers team of Doordarshan Kendra and AIR along with a certificate of their character verification” to the deputy superintendent of police, Criminal Investigation Department, Bilaspur, by October 1. “Their access within the rally or meeting will be decided by this office,” the notification read. On Tuesday Himachal director general of police Sanjay Kundu, however, clarified in a tweet that all journalists are welcome to cover the event and that the state’s police will “facilitate their coverage.”
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the AIIMS at Bilaspur, the foundation of which was laid by him in October 2017. It had been established under the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.
AIIMS, Bilaspur, constructed at a cost of more than Rs 1,470 crore, is a state-of-the-art hospital with 18 specialty and 17 super-specialty departments, 18 modular operation theatres and 750 beds, including 64 ICU beds.
