HYDERABAD: Telangana police foiled protest march planned by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers to the state Secretariat here on Friday to press for their several demands and took into preventive custody over 8,000 of them across the state. They were later let off in evening.
Thousands of ASHA workers participated in a protest called by the CITU Telangana committee demanding the government for minimum monthly salary of Rs 15,000, health benefits among others. As part of the protest programme, ASHA workers staged dharnas, took out rallies and laid siege the government offices across the state.
In Hyderabad, though the city police denied permission to CITU for conducting protest programme at Indira Park and to take out rally from Sundaraiah Vignan Kendra to Dharna Chowk, Indira Park, hundreds of workers gathered at Baglinghampalli and tried to take out a procession. However, the police detained them and shifted them to police station as a precautionary measure.
Women workers, who tried to lay siege to the Secretariat, were taken into custody and shifted to Bollaram police station. The police took custody of ASHA workers at RTC crossrods, Indira Park and shifted to Kanchanbagh and Goshamahal stadium.
DGP Anurag Sharma said that the police arrested 744 workers in Nizamabad district, 1,129 workers in Karimnagar, 624 in Warangal rural localities, 1,246 workers in Nalgonda, 844 workers in Mehbubnagar district, 1405 workers in Khammam, 688 workers in Warangal Commissionerate limits, 665 workers in Adilabad district, 229 workers in Ranga Reddy and 1,131 workers in Medak district.
Hyderabad police had denied them permission to hold the rally on the grounds that their proposed programme may result in law and order situation.
‘‘’We took the workers into custody to maintain law and order. They were later let off,’’ the DGP said.