Chandigarh: Police fired tear gas shells and struck lathis on hundreds of government employees to prevent them from crossing into the city from Panchkula to gherao the official residence of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in a two-hour protest demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme (OPS) in the state.
With the Haryana assembly’s budget session starting on Monday, employees of various government departments pushed their demand for the restoration of the OPS which was admissible to those appointed before 2008. Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab have already announced to implement the OPS.
Earlier in the day, employees started assembling in Sector 5, Panchkula, for a massive rally despite heavy police deployment. After the rally, employees marched till the sectors 7-817-18 roundabout to come close to the housing board light point, the access point to Chandigarh. The protesters breached the first two layers of barricades put up by the Haryana police. As they crossed the first layer of the security ring of the Chandigarh Police, cops pushed them back and then used water cannons, lathi charge, and tear gas shells to disperse them. A dozen-odd employees suffered injuries. They were taken to General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula.
The protest was led by Virender Dhaliwal, president, Pension Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (PBSS), which had the support of all employees’ associations. Unions of various departments and even NGOs offered support.