Over 25 mediapersons were subjected to intense security check and literally confined in a room for over an hour, among other issues of treatment that led them to boycott the event.
Mediapersons in Shillong today boycotted Rahul Gandhi’s interaction session with students of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) here after they were subjected to intense security check and literally confined in a room for over an hour.
Over 25 mediapersons, despite being issued special passes to cover the programme, were confined in a room adjacent to the convention hall where the interaction was organised, minutes before Rahul arrived, and were not allowed either inside the hall or to go outside till the middle of the interaction.
"We are doing our job", an SPG personnel said, when questioned about the 'security measure'.
The media then decided to boycott the programme even as the organisers were seen persuading saying they can be allowed inside the hall for maximum three minutes.
Interestingly amidst allegations that the interaction was political and meant to lure youths for joining the NSUI, the office of NEHU Vice-Chancellor said "we are not aware what the meeting is all about. The Congress will be in know of things".
After the hour-long interaction was over, activists of the Congress’s student’s wing were seen distributing NSUI membership forms among the students who had attended the programme.
The coordinator for Gandhi’s visit D Geetha Krishnan told reporters, "the programme has nothing to do with Congress. It’s just an informal interaction. Rahul took questions from the students on various issues".
At the Convention Hall of NEHU, the AICC General Secretary interacted with some 600 students of the city. Forty students, each from 15 colleges in Shillong, besides 70 others from NEHU attended the programme.
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