MC employees protest Barnala lathicharge incident, seek action

The Municipal Employees Dal (Punjab) has condemned the alleged lathicharge on sanitation workers during a protest in Barnala and demanded strict action against police officials involved in the act.

In a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann through the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, the dal alleged that the sanitation workers protesting over their demands in Barnala were lathi-charged by the police. The employees’ body urged the state government to take immediate action and ensure justice for the injured workers.

The dal demanded that a case be registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and other relevant legal provisions against the Barnala DSP, SHO and other police personnel allegedly involved in the incident. It also sought their suspension pending inquiry.

The union further demanded the immediate transfer of the SSP, Barnala, alleging failure to handle the situation properly. Seeking relief for the injured workers, it urged the government to provide Rs 2 lakh as compensation to each sanitation worker who sustained injuries during the alleged lathicharge.

Besides raising the issue of the Barnala incident, the employees’ body also reiterated several long-pending demands of sanitation workers across the state. These included an end to the contractual recruitment system and the regular appointment of sanitation workers and sewermen in municipal bodies.

The dal also demanded the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for all government employees in the state.