Dehradun police have arrested around 500 employees of Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam limited (UPNl) at Parade Ground before their rally started moving towards the Chief Minister’s residence on Tuesday. Moreover, five members of UPNl climbed atop a water tank at Survey Chowk as part of protest but later came down. The district administration has deployed heavy police forces around the parade ground area to avoid untoward incidents.
A large number of protesters assembled at old Raipur bus stop, Parade Ground and shouted slogans against the State Government, accusing it of failing to address their demands, including regularisation of their jobs.
later, as they were about to take out the rally towards the Chief Minister’s residence the district officers stopped them. Police were found involved in verbal arguments with the protesters. The situation seemingly spiraling out of control, police took the protesters in their vehicle. In the evening, all the protesters were released at Race Course.
However, UPNl’s five members, including Deepak, Kausal Pal, Naresh Negi and Sudeep Sajwan, climbed atop a water tank by way of protest.
A protester said they have been protesting under the banner of UPNl employees’ Federation at Parade Ground for the last 23 days in support of three— point charter of demands, but the Government has turned a deaf ear so far.
The State president of the federation, Bhavesh Jaguri said the Government officers have given assurances several times but their demands are yet to be addressed. Moreover, the State Government had also given assurance to UPNl employees during the State Assembly session on February 11 this year that the Government would make provision to adjust them as contractual workers or daily wage employees in the departments they are working and no UPNl employee would be terminated from service. Jaguri said despite such assurance, a large numbers of UPNl employees are being terminated from their services. He threatened UPNl employees will intensify their stir if their demands are not met soon.