10 retrenched govt staff injured in lathicharge

Ten retrenched government workers were injured when police lathicharged them after they barged into the PWD office demanding immediate reinstatement and reportedly refused to leave the premises.
Police said they were part of 4,000 daily wage workers, who staged a demonstration here, demanding that they be taken back. All of them were retrenched in 2011.
They said the 10 employees barged into the PWD office here, demanding immediate re-absorption and had a heated argument with department officers who called police after they refused to disperse.
Requests to leave went unheeded following which police lathicharged them. They were arrested and later hospitalised.

Condemning the lathicharge, Opposition Congress leader A V Subramanian, former Chief Minister V Vaithilingam and leaders of other political parties visited the injured at hospital.
They objected to the retrenchment and said it was proof of the 'anti-worker' stand of the Rangasamy led government and demanded a probe into the lathicharge.
Former Minister and secretary of CPI state committee R Viswanathan said in a release that the Chief Minister had not fulfilled the promise made on the floor of the house in the last session that all these employees would be reinstated.
He demanded that government take action against police officials responsible and called for a probe into the incident by a retired judge.