KANPUR: Dayaram, a former army man, on Monday started a ' jal satyagraha' (water protest) in the Ganga at
Panchaal Ghat of Farrukhabad seeking an end to alleged discrimination and denial of promotion in service. However, as his condition deteriorated after spending hours in waist-deep water, the district administration cajoled him to end his protest on Tuesday and sent him to
Ram Manohar Lohia hospital for medical examination.
Dayaram had started the protest seeking appointment with the President, Prime Minister, defence minister and UP chief minister to put up his seven demands, including police inaction in a case in which a woman from Ambedkar Nagar of
Farrukhabad was duped of several lakhs rupees by her children.
"I am protesting against discrimination and injustice which I had faced during service. I was denied promotion by my seniors. Besides, I am also dedicating this 'jal satyagraha' to a woman of my locality who was duped of several lakhs of rupees by her children and the police did not act on her complaint. The authorities do not want to address our woes," Dayaram, a resident of
Naugawan in Fatehgarh Kotwali area of Farrukhabad, told TOI on Tuesday.
He added, "I am feeling frustrated and deeply hurt by the way our system works. I began the protest to get attention of the authorities."
When Dayaram started his protest on Monday, the administration deployed police and boats to tackle any emergency. A local resident,
Deepak Srivastava, said: "The police and administration officials kept visiting
Panchaal Ghat to monitor the situation. As Dayaram was standing in waist-deep water, the locals were seen boosting his confidence from the river bank."
Circle officer Sanjiv Singh Rathore said, "SHO Kotwali was sent to Panchaal Ghat to talk to Dayaram and settle the issue. After assurance that his demands would be put up before authorities, he ended his protest and we sent him to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital as he was unwell after spending hours in the river."
Dayaram, a former army man