CPI(M) condemns police action against secretariat employees
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The Andhra Pradesh unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has condemned the police action against Village and Ward Secretariat employees who gathered in Vijayawada on Sunday to press for their demands and urged the State government to immediately hold talks with their representatives and resolve their grievances.
In a statement on Monday, the party State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao alleged that employees who came to Vijayawada as part of the “Chalo Vijayawada” programme were chased, assaulted and arrested instead of being allowed to stage a peaceful protest. He also objected to the suspension of employees for participating in the protest.
The CPI(M) leader said the employees had applied for permission for the protest 10 days in advance, but the police had not granted permission. When they assembled near Dharna Chowk, the police allegedly forcibly removed and arrested them. The party also alleged that women employees were dragged and taken into police vehicles.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the government should withdraw the suspensions imposed on leaders of the Village and Ward Secretariat Employees’ Joint Forum and drop any proposal to register cases against those who participated in the Chalo Vijayawada programme.
The government had issued a Government Order providing promotion opportunities to employees in some cadres, which was welcome, he said, but several other issues remained unresolved. The government should discuss all the pending issues with the employees’ associations and take steps to resolve them, he added.
The CPI(M) leader alleged that successive governments had failed to address the employees’ grievances since their recruitment under the previous government, forcing them to take to the streets. It urged the government to stop what it described as coercive measures and initiate dialogue with the employees’ representatives.
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