Women protesters surround an unconscious Manzur Patel,
district general secretary of the CITU,
after police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the agitators,
in Gulbarga on Tuesday.
GULBARGA: The police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse workers of the unorganised sector, owing allegiance to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), who were picketing the Vikasa Soudha complex demanding an increase in minimum wages and regularisation of services of daily-wage workers.
Several leaders, including Secretary of the State unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist) Maruti Manpade; District General Secretary of the CITU Manzur Patel; CPI(M) leaders Gangamma Biradar, Gouramma Patil; Kalpana, General Secretary of the Anganwadi Workers’ Union; District President of the CITU Shanta Ghanti; and Chincholi taluk panchayat member Sharanabasappa Mamshetty, were injured in the lathi-charge.
Mr. Patel became unconscious and once he regained consciousness the police took him away in a police van. According to CPI(M) party sources, Mr. Patel again slipped into unconsciousness at the University Police station where the protesters were lodged.
The police were seen dragging women protesters into the waiting police vans. Several vehicles, including a NEKRTC bus, two private buses and several two-wheelers were damaged in the stone-pelting. Speaking to presspersons from the police van, Mr. Manpade condemned the undemocratic act of the police and called for a Gulbarga city bandh on September 17 when Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa would be visiting the city to participate in the Liberation Day celebrations.
The trouble began when the protesters tried to prevent the entry of the vehicle of Superintendent of Police Padmanayan at the main gate of the Vikas Soudha at the fag end of the protest. Mr. Padmanayan got out of his vehicle and approached Mr. Manpade asking him to make away for him to enter the Deputy Commissioner’s office to hold discussions with the officials to break the deadlock and end the picketing amicably.
The CPI(M) workers refused to do so stating that no one would be allowed to enter the Vikasa Soudha unless the district administration held talks with the protesters regarding their 17-point demand. This led to a heated argument between Mr. Manpade and Mr. Padmanayan. One of the CPI(M) workers allegedly grabbed Mr. Padmanayan’s shirt. The police then resorted to mild lathi-charge to allow Mr. Padmanayan to enter the complex, and took Mr. Manpade into custody. This enraged the protesters and they began to pelt stones at the police, who resorted to lathi-charge and arrested the protesters. At least eight police personnel suffered injuries in the stone-throwing.
The CITU, Karnataka State Committee, has condemned the lathi-charge and arrest of unorganised sector workers who were on a State-wide agitation. The CITU has urged the Government to meet the demands of the protesters besides taking action against the police officials responsible for the lathi-charge.
CITU leaders said that the police had lathi-charged peaceful agitators which had resulted in severe injuries to three in Gulbarga, six in Raichur and more than 10 in other places. “Women activists were also beaten up and policemen behaved rudely with them,” they alleged.
(The Hindu)
No comments:
Post a Comment