SRINAGAR: The police in Kashmir has foiled an emergency meeting of state employees and arrested scores of them including their senior union leader.
Leaders and members of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) or an alliance of employees unions in Jammu and Kashmir had converged at the Agriculture Office, Lal Mandi Srinagar, to chalk out a future course of action over pending demands with the government.
Police cordoned all the entry and exit points to the office and barred the JCC from holding the meet.
However, Muhammad Afzal, an employee, said scores of JCC members still managed their entry into the office premises.
Later they gathered in the office park and as the meeting was in progress, a large contingent of police appeared on scene and arrested them.
For long now, nearly half a million employees in the state have been protesting to pressurise the government to accept a string of demands including a raise in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years.
The JCC had called for a spree of protests which they delayed in view of Eid two weeks ago.
Senior JCC leader, Abdul Qayoom Wani alleged that Government is leaving no stone unturned to harass the employees.
“Today’s meeting was peaceful and there was no protest. Still the government did not allow employees to hold the meeting,” Wani said adding that police action is condemnable.
Wani further said that after the opening of Darbar, JCC would convene an important meeting in Jammu. “But before that a meeting would be called in Srinagar to chalk out strategy for future,” he added.
