India
No public release of CM Sukhvinder Sukhu’s photos without approval: Himachal government amid ‘samosa controversy’ | India News – Times of India
According to the order, the Director of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) must authorize all images of the Chief Minister before they are circulated, whether taken during department meetings, official engagements or public functions.
The DIPR letter, addressed to secretaries and heads of departments, cited examples of unapproved releases where CM Sukhu was captured in a manner that, in their view, “portrays inappropriate gestures” that could “potentially tarnish the Prime Minister’s public image harm’. The letter said that “unregulated circulation of photographs” could impact public perception of both the Prime Minister and the government.
The announcement comes after the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) on Saturday organized a ‘Samosa March’ in Shimla, a satirical protest in response to an ongoing investigation into the inadvertent serving of samosas originally meant for CM Sukhu to his security team.
The BJYM workers made their point by theatrically ‘feeding’ a poster of the Prime Minister with samosas while chanting, ‘Sukhu ji ka samosa kisne khaya?’ (“Who ate Sukhu ji’s samosa?”).
The controversy was sparked by an incident on October 21, when snacks meant for CM Sukhu were accidentally served to his security personnel during a visit to the CID headquarters. Reports suggesting a CID investigation had been launched to address the mix-up quickly gained attention.
Reacting to the uproar, CM Sukhu downplayed the situation, attributing it to a minor “misconduct incident” and saying it was being blown out of proportion.
