Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, June 22: Police resorted to mild lathi-charge and used water cannons to foil the protest march of the State Government employees towards Raj Bhawan and arrested over a dozens of them in action in Srinagar while employees staged protest demonstration at various district headquarters and struck work in their respective offices across the State today.
A large number of employees, under the banner of Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) assembled at Sher-e-Kashmir Park in Srinagar this morning and started their protest march towards Governor’s House. They were shouting slogans in support of their pending demands. They were carrying banners and placards in their hands depicting demands. When they were moving on the road in the shape of a large rally, a strong police contingent intercepted them. The policemen restricted their movement but after getting tough resistance from the agitating employees, they resorted to cane-charge and also used water cannons to disperse them and their resolve to conduct ‘gherao’ of Raj Bhawan was foiled.
Dozens of employees including their leaders were arrested and lodged in Ram Munshi Bagh and Kothi Bagh Police Stations. The employees again tried to re-assemble and take out their protest march but police using batons again made them to disperse. The arrested employees including their leaders were however, released in the afternoon.
The agitating employees are demanding enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 years, regularisation of daily wagers, removal of pay anomalies and benefits of 6th Pay Commission to the Public Sector Undertakings. The employees’ leaders including Mohd Gafoor Dar, Khurshed Alam, Muntazir Mohiuddin, Qayoom Wani, Farooq Trali and others condemned the police action and alleged that Government was trying to muzzle their voice by using police force. They said the JCC leadership will chalk out next strategy after conducting a meeting on Tuesday. The JCC had called for two-day strike on June 21 and 22. Due to strike the normal work in the Government offices was badly hit.
Reports from Various districts including Doda, Kishtwar, Kathua, Udhamput, Rajouri, Poonch etc said that normal work in many offices was hit with the two-day strike of the employees. The employees held demonstrations and shouted slogans in support of their pending demands. They held gate demonstrations today and observed pen down strike.
In Jammu, the employees held protest demonstrations at their respective offices and struck work. The employees leaders addressed gatherings at various offices and projected demands. At ITI complex Canal Road massive demonstration was held under the leadership of Nazir Ahmed Moulvi and Karan Singh. Similar protests were held at Agriculture complex, at Rail Head complex and other offices. Gafoor Dar, Kulwant Singh, Darshan Singh, Amrik Singh, Rajinder Kumar, Jagdish Sharma and others visited various offices and addressed employees gathering. Mr Dar claimed that next round of meeting of JCC would be held at Srinagar on June 24 and the leadership will decide next course of action. He alleged that Government was forcing the employees to resort to the agitational path.
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