Employees in J&K detained for protesting outside CM's house

Hundreds of Jammu and Kashmir government employees were today detained as they tried to march toward Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's residence to stage a demonstration in support of their demands including regularisation of daily-wage and casual workers.

The employees of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department marched towards the high security Gupkar residence of the Chief Minister, officials said.

As the protesting employees reached Sonwar, the police asked them to disperse but they insisted on going ahead with the demonstration, following which fifteen of them were detained.

The protest call was given by Kashmir PHE Joint Employees Association in support of its demand for regularisation of daily wage workers, casual labourers and need-based workers. They also demanded their pending salaries be released and paid regularly.

The employees have been frequently holding protest demonstrations in support of their demands. Over the past several months, the employees staged various demonstrations and sit-ins in support of their demands.

They have threatened to gherao the residences of ministers in their respective constituencies if their demands were not met immediately.