Coimbatore: The election commission’s flying squad team (FST) has come under a cloud after tourists accused it of seizing their cash without justification.A group of four tourists from Kerala arrived at the Coimbatore district collectorate on Monday, demanding that their cash seized by the FST be returned. On March 20, the team had seized 72,800 from them when they were driving through Velanthavalam in Coimbatore district. The tourists claimed that the squad had taken away the money even though each individual was carrying less than 20,000. They claimed authorities deliberately treated their individual cash as a collective amount and seized it without proper justification. Jobi and his three friends from Erunakulam had planned for a five-day trip to Velankanni by car and left their city on March 19. In the wee hours of March 20, the Coimbatore FST intercepted their car at Velanthvalam. Jobi said, “We are farmers and mainly rely on fishing. My friends and I had carried not more than 20,000 per head. We fuelled our vehicle with the same cash. We couldn’t go for the pilgrimage as the cash has not been returned. It’s been three days, and I had to go back to Ernakulam to get the required documents. Despite providing the papers today, they are delaying the process and have asked us to appear when they give us a call.”The incident has raised questions about whether the election commission’s guidelines clearly define how cash held by a group or family should be assessed, during election-related checks and seizures by enforcement teams.
