Agitating Jharkhand policemen observe fast on duty

About 70,000 police personnel of Jharkhand Wednesday observed day-long fast on duty as part of their agitation to mount pressure on the government to meet their demands including one-month additional salary per year.

For the first time, all police associations of the state have come together and resorted to a phase-wise agitation across the state in support of their 7-point charter of demands, General Secretary of Jharkhand Police Association (JAP) Akshay Kumar Ram said.

"On the second phase of the agitation, we observed one-day fast today," Ram told PTI.

Along with other JAP functionaries, Ram sat on fast in front of the state police headquarter in Ranchi.

Others did their duty while being on fast, the JAP leader said.

In the first phase of agitation, the policemen wore black badges on duty from February 12 to 14.

"If our demands were not met by February 27, we will go on mass leave from the next day to March 4. That would be our 3rd phase of agitation," he said.

Around 70,000 police personnel including cooks and drivers have joined the agitation, Ram claimed.

Regretting that despite repeated assurance from Chief Minister Raghubar Das to implement the promise of one-month additional salary per year, Ram said none of the demands was fulfilled as yet.

The JAP has been demanding for several years one month's additional remuneration against duty performed on holidays including gazette ones.

Its other demands included payment of allowances as per the 7th Pay Commission recommendations, returning to old pension scheme, promotion of policemen to fill the vacant posts and health facility on a par with senior police officers.