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| Dozens of employees injured, scores arrested | | Police wield batons, lob water cannons; foil employees march to CM residence | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Aug 22: Police used force and resorted to lathi-charge while foiling the march of state Government employees towards the residence of Chief Minister here on Thursday. Police also lobbed water cannons on protesting employees who were adamant to march towards the residence of Chief Minister.
Reports said that dozens of employees suffered injuries during the police action and scores among them were arrested by police and then lodged in different police stations. The police action led to disruption of traffic and pedestrian movement on the busy Maulana Azad Road. The people who were walking on the road could be seen running for safety as the police swooped on the protesting employees.
Meanwhile, work in the Government offices including civil secretariat was adversely affected due to strike call given by employees in support of their demands.
This afternoon hundreds of employees under the banner of Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) assembled at the Municipal Park and tried to march towards Chief Minister's residence as part of its protest programme. The police stopped the employees near the park and asked them to disperse peacefully.
The employees insisted on going ahead with the protest, following which police used batons and water cannons to disperse them. Dozens of employees including some women employees got injured in the police action. The employees again regrouped and tried to proceed as per their scheduled program. The police again resorted to lathi-charge to scuttle the march. Police detained scores of employees including JCC leaders Abdul Qayoom Wani and Farooq Ahmad Trali.
In a similar protest, the employees of food and supplies assembled at CAPD Complex, Shaheed Gunj and tried to march towards Lal Chowk. The large contingents of police force prevented them to proceed. They arrested their leaders including Muntazir Mohi-Din, and Manzoor Pampori. The detained employees were lodged in various police stations in Srinagar.
Before being taken into custody, Qayoom alleged the Government of ignoring the demands of the employees intentionally. He said employees are being forced to take to streets after Government failed to meet their demands. He said it is incorrect to say that the enhancement in the existing retirement age would affect the employment chances of the educated unemployed youths in the state.
The employee leaders demanded that all those who are working in different departments as contingent employees must be regularized and the issues of Rehbar-e-Taleem (RET) teachers and Educational Volunteers (EVs) should be taken seriously.
The agitated employees said that State Government should ensure incorporation of RETs five years probation into their service records and 50 percent of the job quota in Education department should be reserved for the regularization of EVs. The protest call was also given by an employees union in support of its demand for release of the Pay Commission arrears, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years and regularization of adhoc and daily-wage workers. |
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