Seizure of 19,600 Tablets in Rayagada raises Eyebrows

TNI Bureau: A huge cache of tablets with wallpaper of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and 5T logo with a message was seized from a container and eight SUVs near the Rayagada Station yesterday.

According to reports, over 19,000 tablets reached the Rayagada Railway station from Bhubaneswar. They were loaded in a container and eight SUVs and were scheduled to be distributed to the teacher at different places of the district.

However, some local people including the leaders and workers of ¬BJP and Congress detained the vehicles after finding the Chief Minister’s photo, the 5T logo and a message on the wallpapers of the mobile tablets.

After detaining the mobile tablets, they lodged a police complaint alleging violation of model code of conduct (MCC). Soon, the Town Police reached the spot and seized the vehicles along with the tablets. Two persons, who were in-charge of the transportation, were also detained by the police for interrogation.

“These tabs are meant for the teachers of government schools. We had the order to supply these tabs before the imposition of the model code of conduct. We distributed some in the first lot in December. We were to distribute the second lot,” says Lekharaj Kumar, who was transporting the gadgets, however he failed to produce any documents to substantiate his claims.

However, after necessary verification, the officers and the vehicles returned to Bhubaneswar while the electronic devices were kept at the district treasury till the completion of the upcoming elections.

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