Pics: Sphoorty Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RS/CN)
Mangalore, Sep 15: Left organizations, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), and Student Federation of India (SFI), organized two separate picketing and demonstration protests on different issues on Tuesday September 15.
On Tuesday morning, the CITU picketed demanding a salary of Rs 6,000 for workers in the unorganized sector including daily wage-earners and contract workers. They also demanded redressal of several issues related to the welfare of such workers in the state.
The protest was held in front of the deputy commissioner’s office and hundreds of protestors were arrested by the police. The CITU organized the protest as part of its statewide agitation against the failure of the state government in implementing a proper plan to strengthen the unorganized sector.
In the evening, DYFI and SFI organized a protest against police atrocity and misuse of power by the state government in lathi charging protestors in Raichur, Hassan, Gulbarga, Bidar, and Koppala district during a CITU picketing.
Addressing the protest, district president of DYFI Muneer Katipalla said, “The CITU had organized the protest to demand constitutional rights from the government. The state government has no patience to listen to the demand and used the police to save its face by stopping the protest. The action by the police was against democracy in the country and is typical of the rule of dictators. Such actions give proof of the state government’s disinterest towards the workers’ community”, he said.
“There are nearly a thousand workers who have been seriously injured in lathi charges that took place in various parts of the state. This is a reflection of the state government’s anti-farmer/poor worker rule”, he added.
SFI district secretary Jeevan Raj, CPI(M) city committee secretary Sunil Kumar Bajal, and CITU leader Vasantha Achari were present.