In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, people staged protest demonstrations in Jammu city against the anti-people policies of the authorities.
Hundreds of daily wage workers of the Public Health Engineering department staged a massive protest near the residence of President of IIOJK chapter of Bharatiya Janata Party, Ravinder Raina, to press for their long-pending demands of regularization and release of pending wages.
The workers, under the banner of Public Health Engineering (PHE) Employees United Front, assembled in Gandhi Nagar and marched towards the residence of Raina. A strong contingent of Indian police tried to stop them. The protesters reached Raina’s residence and staged a peaceful demonstration. After protesting for few hours, the PHE workers dispersed.
Pertinently, over 60,000 daily wagers, casual labourers and other workers are working in the PHE and several other departments over the past two decades and are regularly holding protests in both Jammu and Srinagar for the regularisation of their jobs, implementation of Minimum Wages Act and release of pending wages.
Meanwhile, the women wing of the IIOJK chapter of Indian National Congress staged a demonstration in Jammu to protest against the BJP government’s failure to control the rise in prices of essential commodities and ensure women’s safety. The police stopped the protesters from taking out a march.
Addressing the protesters, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Jammu and Kashmir affairs in-charge Rajani Patil lashed out at the BJP government in India, saying that it had failed to fulfill its promise of ensuring security of women. What has happened in different parts of India against women under the BJP regime is shameful, she said.—KMS
