Dehradun: In an ironic situation during the state civic elections conducted on Sunday, police personnel, who were entrusted with the duty of ensuring that everyone could safely exercise their voting rights, could not avail the right themselves.According to an estimate, about 50% of total police personnel—including home guards and provincial armed constabulary (PAC)—deployed in the elected duty, could not vote in the civic elections as they were not provided postal ballots.About 10,000 police personnel, 4000 home guards, 2000 PRD jawans and 25 companies of PAC were deployed on election duty in various wards across the state.Ashok Kumar, additional director general of police (ADG), law and order, told TOI, “Due to unknown reasons, policemen who were deployed on election duty did not get postal ballots in advance. The district returning officers should have ensured allotment of postal ballots to our personnel who were on election duty. However, we issued directions to all policemen who were posted at the place where they can exercise their right, to at least cast their vote”The protocol regarding security personnel and other government employees who are deployed on election duty is to get them to send their votes through post in the form of postal ballots which are given to them by election commission well in advance.

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