Patna, Sep 28: Workers of the CPI and several other affiliated outfits on Monday clashed with the police during their protest march to the Lok Bhavan here over demands for Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, cancellation of SIR and revocation of the Waqf Amendment Act.
The agitators breached barricades set up to stop their march, prompting the police to use water cannons to disperse the crowd at Dak Bungalow Crossing in the state capital, officials said.
Police claimed some anti-social elements were among the protesters, and they indulged in stone-pelting, leading to injuries to a few people.
Several protesters were also taken away from the protest site in a police vehicle, the officials added.
Besides the CPI, members of its affiliated outfits All India Students’ Federation (AISF), All India Youth Federation (AIYF), Bihar Mahila Samaj, Bihar State Kisan Sabha, Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Tanzim-e-Insaf took part in the demonstration.
The protesters later submitted a memorandum, listing their demands, to Governor Syed Ata Hasnain, according to a statement issued by the Communist Party of India (CPI).
The agitators demanded Kumar’s resignation, cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the repeal of the Waqf Amendment Act.
The protesters, in the memorandum, demanded the reinstatement of MGNREGA with 200 days of guaranteed work and minimum wages, enactment of a comprehensive central law for agricultural labourers, passage of a ‘Shahid-e-Azam Bhagat Singh National Employment Guarantee Act’, withdrawal of the new labour codes, and a halt to the privatisation of public sector enterprises.
To support farmers and the rural economy, the memorandum sought a legal guarantee for procurement of crops at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) based on the “C2+50 per cent formula”, implementation of a crop insurance scheme through the Agricultural Insurance Company of India, agricultural loan waivers and cancellation of the India-US trade agreement.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Sharma told reporters, “Protesters came in large numbers, and there were some anti-social elements as well who tried to exploit the situation.”
“We took the representatives of the protesters to dignitaries concerned; still, the agitators blocked the road at Dak Bungalow Crossing. Ambulance and other essential services were disrupted, but now we have cleared the site partially. There were incidents of stone pelting and some people sustained injuries,” he added. (PTI)
