Indiscriminate lathicharge by Police against ASHA workers in Andhra Pradesh

  

The CITU-affiliated union had called for a 48-hour picketing to protest the raw deal meted out to them at various primary health centres in disbursement of incentives and marched in a rally towards the DM & HO Office. A few woman constables, besides policemen, led by the Circle Inspector (Town), stopped them near the bungalow of TDP MLA P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju and arrested CITU leaders T.V. Ramana, P. Sankar Rao, and some Asha workers.

When other women tried to prevent the arrests, the police caned them indiscriminately. Undeterred, other Asha workers went to the DM & HO Office and staged a protest. U. Swarajya Lakshmi, DM & HO, assured them that she would do redress their grievance in two weeks.

A Circle Inspector of Police was ordered to be suspended after he went berserk by indiscriminately beating up women health workers with a lathi while they were staging a demonstration outside the office of the District Medical & Health Officer (DM & HO) here on Thursday.

T. Trinadha Rao, the Circle Inspector, was seen raining blows repeatedly on women who, according to B. Sudha Rani, district general secretary of the A.P. Voluntary Workers Union, included a five-month pregnant woman, while they were retreating. The voluntary health workers (Asha) are meant to counsel patients of HIV/AIDS. Two women -- Allu Satyavathi and Garbhapu Bhanu Kumari -- were seriously injured in the lathicharge and were admitted to the district headquarters hospital. Twenty-four Asha workers and a few CITU leaders were arrested.

CPI (M) leaders staged a rasta roko at the at RTC complex demanding an inquiry into the lathicharge.