Scores of daily wage workers and physical teachers were briefly detained on Saturday after they staged a protest to press for their demands. While the daily wage workers have been demanding regularization of their services and release of pending wages, physical teachers are seeking reduction in their probationary period from seven to five years, officials said.
Police acted against the protesters, who gathered separately outside the Press Club and nearby Dogra chowk and later blocked the main road after all attempts to disperse them peacefully did not succeed, they said. Hundreds of daily wage workers of the Jal Shakti department, under the banner of Public Health Engineering Employees United Front, assembled at the main office complex of the Chief Engineer before moving to the Dogra chowk.
Chanting slogans in support of their long-pending demand of regularization and release of wages, the protesters were stopped by police who later used a mild baton charge and took 100 of them into preventive custody. Over 60,000 daily wagers, casual labourers and other workers who are performing their duties in various departments have been holding protests over the past two decades in both Jammu and Srinagar in support of their demands.
Officials said police also took nearly 50 protesting 'Rehbar-e-Khel' (physical teachers) when they tried to march towards the main road after staging a protest outside the Press Club. The teachers, who are on strike for the last 40 days across J&K, are seeking reduction in their probationary period from seven to five years.
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