Police use force to control protesting roadways staff

Karnal: hundreds of members of the Haryana Roadways Union held a protest on Saturday against the inclusion of 720 private buses in Haryana Roadways on contract.

The Panipat district police used water cannons and mild force to control the protesters, while they were going to gherao the residence of transport minister Krishan Panwar in Matlauda town.

The union members accused the police of lathicharge and claimed that about 10 people sustained minor injuries in the scuffle. The police found it difficult to control the protesting employees as they tried to cross the barricade, and hence used force.

SHO Matloda Sandeep Chikara said the police did not canecharge the protesters but used water cannons to control them.

However, the protesting employees accused the government of using police force to suppress their voice. They said that they would continue with the decision of ‘chakka jam’ on October 16 and 17 if chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar did not invite them for a meeting by October 12.

Addressing the protesters, senior member Harinarayan Sharma alleged that the government has introduced the policy of private buses to benefit private transporters and asked the government to scrap the policy immediately.

Meanwhile, the police said an FIR was being registered against unknown employees for violation of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).