Jammu and Kashmir employees clash with police during protest march

Six employees of Jammu and Kashmir government were injured in police action and over a dozen others taken into preventive custody when they tried to take out a protest march in support of their demands, including regularization of daily wage and casual workers. "Hundreds of employees of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department assembled near the Central Telegraph Office and tried to march towards city center of Lal Chowk. When the police asked them to disperse, the protesters insisted on taking the march forward," DNA India reported. Police resorted to batons charge and also used water cannons to disperse the protesters, in which six employees were injured," the report said. It noted the protest call was given by Kashmir PHE Joint Employees Association in support of its demand for regularization of daily-wage workers, casual labourers and need-based workers. "They also demanded their pending salaries be released and paid regularly," it added. The report further added that the employees have been frequently holding protest demonstrations in support of their demands. "Over the past several months, the employees staged various demonstrations and sit-ins to press for their demands."