THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Patna, Nov 9: Bihar police again used water cannons and lathi-charge to disperse the Anganwadi protestors on Thursday.
The state’s Anganwadi workers are holding protests for the second day today. Anganwadi protestors had previously gheraoed the Vidhan Sabha on November 7 in response to demands for an increase in honorarium.
The protesters were dispersed by the Bihar police using water cannons. Amidst the mayhem, an Anganwadi worker lost consciousness while the police persisted in using water cannons and lathi charges at the workers.
Demonstrators chanted slogans against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s government, calling for an increase in their honorarium.
“Who can survive on Rs 5000?”. This is how we are treated when we ask for our rights. Unless we get paid like a government worker, we won’t stop protesting”, a protestor stated.
In opposition to the State Government’s deployment of water cannons on Anganvadi workers and the caste-based census report, Bhartiya Janata Party workers protested outside the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday.
Anganwadi workers have been pressing for a raise in their honorarium and recognition as government employees.
The workers have specified that they have five demands for the state government, with the highest priority being recognition as government employees and an honorarium increase.
The Anganwadi workers claimed that although the Supreme Court had issued a directive to provide gratuities to the staff, the Bihar government was not taking this into consideration.
Union Minister Nityanand Rai slammed the Bihar government for using water cannons to disperse Anganwadi protestors outside the Bihar Assembly, saying that the government had ruined the state’s law and order.
“The Bihar government of Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav has become a government of ‘lathi and goli’. Intense water cannon was used on Anganwadi workers (to disperse them) which is a crime against women. They went there to put forth their demands from the state government as per their democratic right. This government has destroyed law and order. They have committed a huge crime by doing such an act,” Nityanand Rai said.
