An assistant teacher serving as a polling officer in Hamirpur for the Lok Sabha elections was suspended on Tuesday for taking a selfie inside a polling booth. Ashish Kumar Arya, an assistant teacher at Girls Primary School in Umri, Muskara Development Block, Hamirpur district, was on duty as Polling Officer (First) at polling station 112 of Shri Vidya Mandir Inter College, Hamirpur, according to a statement by UP’s Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa on Tuesday.
Rinwa stated that Arya allegedly took selfies and photographs of voters with his mobile phone on the day of voting, violating Election Commission instructions. Due to this "serious violation," the District Basic Education Officer of Hamirpur suspended Arya and assigned him to the Block Resource Centre in Muskara. The Block Education Officer headquarters has been appointed to investigate the matter. The Chief Electoral Officer has urged polling personnel to adhere strictly to the commission's instructions during the election process and refrain from any inappropriate activities, the statement added.