Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 10: Police today foiled ‘Secretariat gherao’ march of State Government employees by using water cannons and detaining at least 100 of them after they tried to march towards Srinagar’s Civil Secretariat .
The employees, under the banner of Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), an amalgam of several employees union, assembled at different places – Khalsa High School, Magarmal Bagh, Lal Mandi, Sarai Bala, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department office, Shaheed Ganj – since morning and attempted to march towards Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s office in Civil Secretariat.
The agitating employees are demanding extension of the retirement age from 58 to 65, regularization of daily wagers and removal of pay anomalies in the clerical cadre, besides budgetary support for public sector undertakings.
A large contingent of police deployed around Civil Secretariat with batons and shields and water cannons intercepted the protesting employees. They were bundled into police vans and lodged in them different police stations across the city.
However, some employees led by president Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC-M), Mohiddin Muntazir breached the police cordon and reached Jahangir Chowk where police swung into action, cane charged and use water cannons against them in which Muntazir along with another senior employees leader, Nusrat Beigh fainted after which both were taken to SMHS hospital for treatment. They were later discharged from the hospital.
“The employees will no more suffer because of anti-people policies of the Government. We want Government to fulfill promises made to five lakh employees through an agreement. We will go for an intensified agitation if the Government’s attitude towards the employees doesn’t change,” president EJAC-Q, Abdul Qayoom Wani told the employees gathering before taking out a protest rally.
Wani also hinted that the next programme will be of “intensified nature” and could be indefinite strike if Government fails to fulfill their genuine demands.
Meanwhile, general secretary EJAC-Q, Farooq Ahmad Trali condemned the police action and called it “undemocratic” and “unwarranted.”
“Whole city was converted into military garrison in order to prevent employees’ peaceful march. But by using force they can’t muzzle the voice of five lakh employees,” Trali said.
Due to the strike called by the employees, work in most of the Government offices was affected.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) State Secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has condemned the use of police force on the protesting employees.
In a statement issued here, Tarigami expressed his surprise and said in Kashmir the grievances of the people as well as the employees were being addressed by use of force.
“Be it protests against the power crisis, scarcity of drinking water, LPG crisis, price rise or the employees demands, the Government seems to have the force as the only solution to all the problems,” Tarigami said.
He said the Government should without any delay fulfill the genuine demands of the employees including daily wagers working in different departments.
Follow our WhatsApp channel