Contractual employees stage protest, police use force

Police today used water cannons and batons to disperse hundreds of Jammu and Kashmir government employees who tried to march towards the Civil Secretariat here to protest in support of their demand for regularisation of their services.
The contractual government employees of the Public Health Engineering Department assembled at Pratap Park here to protest in support of their demands, officials said.
As the protesting employees tried to march towards the Civil Secretariat, the seat of Jammu and Kashmir government, police asked them to disperse peacefully.
The protesters, however, refused to pay heed and continued to march ahead, prompting the police to use batons, water cannons and tear smoke shells against them, the officials said.

Dozens of employees were detained, they said.
There were no reports of anyone getting injured in the police action.