50 Hurt in Lathicharge at Civic Cops' Rally

KOLKATA:  At least 50 civic police personnel on Monday sustained injuries in Malda in North Bengal after the state police lathicharged a demonstration staged by them to protest against the move to lay them off.

And some 4,800 civic police, appointed by the TMC  Government after it came to power in 2011, gathered in front of the district police chief’s office.  The crowd became restive as the SP refused to accept their demand for deputation resulting in the police action against the protesters, including women.  Several of the protesters were severely injured in the lathicharge, with some of them being left with a bloodied face as the police chased them away  from the District Collectorate. The civic police, who are paid for only 20 days a month,  had been for long demanding permanent employment.  Even though several thousand unemployed youths were appointed as civic police personnel by the state government, due to lack of funds many of them had been laid off.