The Assam chief minister, Himanta Sarma, also took the time out to visit contractual police assistants’ injured in Ranchi the others during confrontation with the police on Saturday. This incident took place after the police removed the demonstrators made up of SPOs demanding direct employment and a better honorarium.
The SPOs or the contractual police assistants have been going on strike for the last 17 days in Ranchi to press for their demand of their absorption within the police department. The protest built up to a stir on Friday that saw the police use lathi-charge in order to control the protesters. Sarma who is also the BJP election co-incharge of Jharkhand equally deplored the act of the police and described it as unwarranted and provocative.
The situation has also been condemned by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led government of Hemant Soren who according to BJP have done nothing for contractual police assistants and has neglected all promises made. The crowds’ discontentment is in the overall dissatisfaction with the party’s and the state’s handling of the protest.
Regarding this, high ranking police and administrative authorities had a negotiation session with the delegation of the disturb SPOs on Friday. The authorities also calmed them down, promising them age exemptions/privileges and other conditions relating to their eligibility to apply for the post of constables in departments of their choice such as excise, home guard, jail services, and fire fighting services among others. This offer is expected to support the SPOs take up permanent positions in the public sector organizations while direct induction into this force was considered to be unachievable.
The SPOs were first stationed closer to the Chief Minister’s residence protesting and then relocated to Morabadi Ground where the protesting took place. Similarly, the chief speakers with the protesting SPOs were Principal Secretary Vandana Dadel and Director General of Police DGP Ajay Kumar Singh persuaded the SPOs to withdraw their agitation based on the said promises.
The situation continues to show the existing conflict between the state government and the protesting SPOs, an area that has more sets of problems in the aspect of employment and recruitment in the police force.
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