Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 11: Even as detained State Government employees were released on bail on Friday evening, the stalemate between Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) and the Government refuses to die down.
JCC, an umbrella body of several employees unions, had mulled to court arrest today if their leaders were not released by the Friday evening.
Later, they deferred the protest programme after their leaders were released. But, they assembled at the Press Enclave and held a token protest, raising slogans for their incarcerated leaders and against the “rigid attitude” of Government in accepting their demands.
Those who were released include senior JCC leader, Abdul Qayoom Wani, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, G M Hamdard, Manzoor Pampori, Fayaz Shabnam, Peer Nisar Ahmad, Farooq Sofi, Sajad Ahmad Parry, Ishaq Ganie, Mohammad Shafi Rather, Basher Bhat, Imtiyaz Ahmad, Shahid Ali, Nasir Wani, Syed Iqbal, Azhar Majrooh, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, Nazir Ahmad, Arsalan Habib, Aijaz Ahmad, Mohammad Akbar Dar, Abdul Aziz, Mohammad Amin, Mubarak Ahmad, Mohammad Ashraf Mir and Ghulam Nabi Mir.
Provincial President Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Forum, Mohammad Afzal Bhat during the protests said they had postponed the court arrest programme in the backdrop of release of their detained leaders. “But, Government’s repressive tactics won’t deter us from raising our demands. We will decide future course of action in a couple of days,” he said.
In order to refrain the employees from going for strikes, the Government has threatened to invoke ESMA against employees. However, Bhat said such tactics won’t deter them from taking their struggle to its logical end.
On Thursday, Government employees observed “solidarity day” by wearing black bands to show solidarity with detained leaders, while as October-11 (Friday) was observed as “memorandum day”.
Among other issues, the employees are demanding enhancement of employees retirement age from 58 to 60 years and regularisation of daily-wager, casual workers and removal of pay anomalies.
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