The three women statehood activists, who, demanding written assurance from the State Government on the decision taken during a recent Cabinet meeting regarding 10 per cent horizontal reservation in State Government jobs for the identified statehood activists, had climbed up trees at the Collectorate in Dehradun to register their protest on Wednesday, continued with their hunger-strike while remaining atop the trees on Thursday.
They were still on the trees even as this report was filed on Thursday evening.The three women, all from Pauri district, are Bhuneshwari Negi, Savitri Negi and Bhuma Rawat. The condition of Bhuneshwari Negi deteriorated on Thursday evening. Despite police officials and others persuading them to come down, the trio refused to budge.
Secretary, Home, Vinod Sharma, Dehradun DM Ravinath Raman and SSP Pushpak Jyoti reached the site on Thursday morning and requested them to get down. But the gesture failed to yield result. To avoid untoward incident, the district administration had deployed adequate police forces there. The statehood activists reached the martyrs memorial and lent support to the trio on stir. They raised slogans against the State Government too.
Moreover, the administrative officers and police throughout the day kept on visiting the site to persuade the trio to get down. They rolled out assurance of a meeting with the administrative officers or Government representatives to have their demands considered. However, they refused to soften their stance of getting on with their stir and fasting from atop the trees.
According to protesters, the statehood activists living in the mountainous parts have not been given jobs and pensions by the State Government. Pensions should be given to all the identified statehood activists and other announcements made by the successive Chief Ministers made on the occasion of State foundation day must be fulfilled without delay, they said.
Pramila Rawat, one such statehood activist, said that their protest will continue until they receive written assurances from the State Government. The members of the Rajya Andolankari Sangharsh Morcha have been protesting over the past few days, demanding 10 per cent horizontal reservation in the State Government jobs for the identified statehood activists, among others.
She alleged that the State Government had made promises galore several times but their demands are still unfulfilled.Other statehood activists present on the occasion were Pradeep Kukreti, lakshman Singh Bhandari, Beera Bhandari, Kanchan Chandola, Rakesh Awasthi, Rajendra Singh Rawat, Vipin Chauhan and Savitri Devi.