Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 19

Even as a large number of contractual multipurpose women health workers have been staging a protest at Kathunangal toll plaza here for the last couple of days, the rural police have booked hundreds of workers of the association, including its president, for blocking the national highway.

The agitating association members on the other hand alleged that a truck driver, too, tried running over them late on Saturday evening. They alleged that the incident occurred at the behest of the local cops, who were threatening them to lift the dharna.

Multipurpose health workers have been agitating against the Punjab Government demanding regularisations of their jobs.

Among those booked include state president Ninder Kaur, Kiranjit Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur, Paramjit Kaur, Chanchal Bala, Krishna Sharma and Satwinder Kaur besides around 300 unidentified health workers.

Condemning registration of FIR against health workers, the association members alleged that instead of taking action against the truck driver, who tried running over the peacefully protesting health workers for their genuine demands, the police have registered a case against them, which is totally wrong on the part of the government.

Karuna Sharma, joint secretary of the association, said several farmers who were at the spot came between the truck and the agitating association members in order to save them. She alleged that the SHO went away from the spot just before the incident. They sought registration of case against the truck driver as well.

Meanwhile, the Kathunangal police have registered a case against the protesting contractual health workers under Sections 283 (obstruction of public way), 341 (wrongful restrain), 431 (injury to public road, bridge, river or channel), 188 (violating government order) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 8-B of National Highways Act and Section 4/5 of the Noise Pollution Act.

The case was registered on the complaint of Taranjit Singh Chugh, owner of Chugh Transport. In his complaint, he said his trucks move from Amritsar to Pathankot and vice-versa.

He alleged that as the health workers had blocked the national highway at the toll plaza, this led to harassment to common man going to hospitals or Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport. Trucks were stranded at the toll plaza. He said the health condition of the truck driver suddenly deteriorated, but they did not allow him to move.