Bathinda/Amritsar: The Punjab bandh called by sanitation workers on Thursday over the alleged police lathicharge on protesters in Barnala received a mixed response across the state, with complete shutdown in Barnala and partial closure of markets in several other towns. The workers, who have been on strike since Jul 8, reiterated their demands for regularisation of services, higher wages, restoration of the old pension scheme and action against police officers allegedly responsible for the Jul 22 crackdown.Protest marches were held in Barnala, Bathinda, Moga, Gidderbaha, Faridkot, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Batala and other towns, drawing support from employee, farmer and labour organisations. Congress MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhillon, besides leaders from the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, joined the march in Barnala, where markets remained largely shut and police maintained heavy deployment.The bandh evoked a mixed response in the border districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot. While traders’ bodies backed the call in several areas and major markets remained closed till afternoon in Pathankot, essential services, including hospitals, ambulances and medical stores, functioned normally. Municipal corporation sanitation workers in Pathankot also joined the strike, disrupting civic services.In Gurdaspur, sanitation workers and Valmiki community members held demonstrations demanding action against those responsible for the alleged police action. Punjab govt has held two rounds of talks with the unions and agreed to regularise contractual employees after five years of service, bring outsourced employees with three years’ service under the contract system, and raise monthly wages from Rs 14,000 to Rs 20,500. However, the unions have rejected the offer, insisting on regularisation after three years, a monthly wage of Rs 40,000, and restoration of the old pension scheme.“We demand wages of Rs 40,000 a month and regularisation after three years of service, while the govt is offering regularisation only after five years,” said Punjab Safai Sewak Union president Ashok Sarwan.The workers also demanded registration of a case against suspended Barnala DSP Satvir Singh and transferred Barnala City SHO Lakhwinder Singh, holding them responsible for the alleged lathicharge on protesters, including women, on July 20.On Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission had sought an action-taken report from the Punjab chief secretary and director general of police within two weeks on the incident.Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal have all visited the injured protesters and backed the workers’ demands.
