Excelsior Correspondent
RAMNAGAR, Nov 7: In a high voltage drama, a disengaged SPO of J&K Police climbed atop tower of a telecom company demanding his reinstatement, here today.
Despite the negotiations made by Senior Police officers, local leaders and repeated pleas of his family members, the SPO namely Rattan Chand, son of Dina Nath, R/o Marta,Ramnagar, refused to come down and was still atop the tower till filling of this report.
SSP Udhampur Anil Magotra was personally camping at the site while teams of fire brigade, civil defence personnel and others also rushed to the spot to handle the situation. However, owing to heavy rain that was lashing the area since evening, the rescue teams were finding it extremely difficult to keep a constant watch on movements of SPO atop the tower.
Rattan Chand and some other former SPOs, who along with the former were sacked last year for creating indiscipline in the force, were staging a protest dharna for the last four days at Rani Park in the town.
The trouble erupted this morning around 9.30 a.m. when Rattan Chand suddenly started climbing a nearby mobile tower amidst raising of slogans in support of the demand for reinstatement.
On getting information about the SPO’s bizarre action, Police and civil authorities rushed to the spot and asked Rattan Chand to come down but all in vein. Even as family members of Rattan Chand and several local leaders also sought to pacify the protesting SPO to come down from the tower, the latter refused to do the same demanding that the Deputy Commissioner Udhampur should personally visit the spot and assure him of their reinstatement.
According to SSP Anil Magotra, all out efforts were being made to pacify Rattan Chand for coming down from the tower and possible emergency measures were also taken to avoid any mishap. “Due to heavy downpour, we are unable to constantly monitor his movements but he is still atop the tower,” he told the Excelsior on telephone around 11.45 p.m.
Till filing of this report, the day-long high-voltage drama was on and senior officers from police as well as civil administration were trying to pacify the SPO by making repeated appeals on loud speaker.
Pertinent to mention here that Rattan Chand along with 31 SPOs of Ramnagar belt in Udhampur were disengaged by the Police Department last year when they had resorted to strike for their regularization.
Since his disengagement, Rattan Chand was trying to feed his family by running a ‘rehri’, which was seized by the Municipal authorities on the Diwali eve. The family of Rattan Lal was virtually starving as there is no other earning member to feed them.
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