Srinagar: Police on Thursday baton charged the doctors and paramedics engaged under National Health Mission (NHM) scheme of government of India who were demanding regularisation of their services.
The protesting employees who are on a 72-hr-long strike since Wednesday at Pratap Park in Srinagar raised massive anti-government slogans.
The protesting employees said, “We have on several occasions raised our genuine demands and grievances before different officials and ministers from time to time but not a single step was taken so far”.
They tried to march towards the main road outside press colony.
However, police tried to stop the employees from moving ahead. The employees didn’t retreat.
Police swung into action and lathi charged the protesting doctors and paramedics.
Later, a team of police led by SHO Kothi Bagh evicted the tent where the protesting doctors and paramedics were sitting on a hunger strike.
However, the doctors and paramedics resisted and forced the police to retreat. They pitched the tent again.
The protesting employees including men and women continue the hunger strike demanding what they called their “rights”.
They said that they have been working in the health department for last ten years on meagre wages that too without any job or social security benefits like GP Fund, Pension, Leave benefits etc.
“Some of us have given 10 years of service on the contractual basis but they are yet to be regularized, it speaks volumes about the step-motherly treatment of the state government with us”, said one of the protesting doctors.
The strike may hit badly the healthcare in J&K as the hospitals in J&K are solely dependent on NHM Employees.
