Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 30: The State Government employees’ protest march to Civil Secretariat was foiled by police as the strong contingent of police and para-military forces resorted to mild lathi-charge on peace fully protesting employees and arrested over 300 of them including their leaders here today.
The employees under the banner of Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) assembled at three different locations including Press Club/ Dogra Choak, near Jewel Chowk and Vivekanand Crossing and started their protest march towards Civil Secretariat. Abdul Qayoom Wani was leading from Viveknanda Chowk, Amrik Singh from Press Club and Ganesh Khajuria and others from Jewel Chowk side.
The district administration had already deployed strong contingent of police and para-military force on all the routes leading to Civil Secretariat. Not only from Jammu, but the employees from Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Srinagar and some other districts and tehsils had also reached. As the employees in large groups started marching towards Secretariat as per their `Gherao’ programme, the police resorted to mild lathi-charge and cane charge at some locations and arrested the employees and their leaders. The police packed them in police vehicles and then shifted to District Police Lines Gandhinagar.
The employees were shouting slogans against State Government and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. They were also projecting their demands. They alleged that Government was forcing the employees to come out on the roads as it has failed to honour its commitment.
Senior leader Qayoom Wani told the Excelsior that Government was trying to gag the voice of the employees and suppress their agitation by using force. He said that acts like imposing ESMO and stopping pay of the employees and besides taking other measures, the Government can not terrorise the employees, rather it will strengthen their will power and make them to respond aggressively. He said more than 300 employees were detained and they were not let off till evening. Wani said many JCC leaders including he himself, Ganesh Khajuria, Haji Bashir, Balwinder Singh, Amrik Singh, Dr Manzoor Ahmed, Jagdish Sharma, Ravi Singh Bhau, Nusrat Beg, Farooq Trali, Devanand Gill and others were arrested by police.
He declared that employees would hold strong protest outside Chief Minister’s residence tomorrow at 6 pm and on February 14 employees would march towards Legislative Assembly to hold protest. On February 15, employees from all the departments and PSUs would observe pen down strike through out the State.
Amrik Singh alleged that Government has failed to remove pay anomalies of employees, regularize all daily wagers, adhoc and contractual employees, enhance retirement age, removal pay disparity of clerical cadre, release 6th Pay Commission arrears in favour of Local Bodies and several PSUs, enhance medical allowance, effect merger of 50 % DA into basic pay, increase honorarium of Anganwadi workers, helpers, withdrawal of new pension scheme etc.
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