Nearly two dozen persons detained in Srinagar

Nearly two dozen contractual employees were taken into preventive custody here after they tried to take out a rally in support of their demands, including the demand for regularisation of their services and proper pay scale.
Carrying banners and placards, dozens of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) employees, including women, assembled at Partap Park in the heart of Srinagar this afternoon and later marched to nearby Press Enclave to highlight their demands.
As the slogan-shouting protestors tried to march towards Civil Secretariat - the seat of the government, police swung into action and detained nearly two dozen employees in order to maintain law and order, officials said.

"We have been protesting for a long time and want the government to fulfill our various demands, including brining the NRHM employees under the ambit of new employment policy," Yasmeena, one of the protestors, said.
She said the NRHM employees are doing their best and need to be brought under proper pay scale.
"We want equal pay for equal work," Yasmeena said, adding, they are being discriminated by the government as they are not being paid even if some one goes for maternity leave.