UP Power Corpn. Employees clash with cops, officer injured

A senior police officer was injured as scores of contractual employees of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited today fought a pitched battle with police during a protest demanding regularisation of service.
"The contractual employees of the power department were staging a sit-in demanding regularisation of their employment. When the police tried to remove them, the employees indulged in brick-batting," Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar said.
"The protesting employees went on a rampage and torched two vehicles -- a police jeep and a motorcycle," he said.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Gyan Prakash Chaturvedi fractured his arm during the clash.

"Police then resorted to a baton-charge to disperse the agitating employees," Kumar said adding that "more than 100 people have been detained in this regard."
The protesters too claimed that many of them sustained injuries in the "barbaric police lathi-charge". However, there was no confirmation on the number of those injured.
Meanwhile, the Power Employees Joint Action Committee has decided to observe 'Black Day' on February 12.
"The committee has appealed to all power corporation employees for a 48-hour work boycott from February 24," Joint Action Committee spokesman Girish Pandey said today.