1.2 lakh government staff to strike work on September 22

Rising instances of attacks and assaults on the government and police employees by elected public representatives and the common man has prompted the Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Association to call for a three-day protest on September 20. The protest will end with a one-day pen down strike. The association has demanded the government make stringent laws to punish the attackers, failing which they may extend their agitation.

Speaking about the agitation, G.D. Kulthe, chief advisor, Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Association, said that in recent times there had been an alarming rise in the number of attacks on government employees and police officials, some of which proved to be fatal. “The recent assault by elected representatives at Aurangabad and Karjat and the unprovoked attacks on police personnel in Mumbai by the common man while they were on duty is shocking. The very fact that the attackers have gone scot-free sends out a wrong signal and will only increase in the absence of any stringent law to curb such attack,” said Mr Kulthe.

He further added that in the past, the association had made demands for beefing up the laws for the safety of the government employees but they had gone unheeded. However, in light of the increase in instances of aggression they had to take a firm stand on the issue. “Around 1.2 lakh government employees that include police officials across the state will wear black badges from September 20-22. The last day will be a pen down strike, which will be extended if the chief minister and the home department fail to take cognisance of our demands,” said Mr Kulthe.

The demands include cancellation of the membership of elected representatives who are guilty of assault and booking of the common man under the stringent MCOCA law for assaulting any government employee.

Mr Kulthe cited instances of assaults by elected representatives NCP MLA Suresh Lad and independent MLA Bachu Kadu and three instances of attacks on police constables — which in the case of constable Vilas Shinde, proved fatal — as the reason for the agitation.