Hyderabad: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has urged the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) to act against arbitrary police action against protesting workers.
In a letter addressed to the DGP, the HRF said, “We have come to know through newspaper reports and electronic media that workers participating in protests in Uttar Pradesh are being subjected to harassment, and that the police are resorting to arbitrary actions. These developments are deeply concerning to human rights organisations like ours. We also note that a similar situation prevails in IMT Manesar (Haryana) and Noida.”
The forum said that the workers’ demand for increased salaries is reasonable since the commodities are getting expensive. It also expressed concerns over the arrest of five activists for supporting the demands.
“On the contrary, the activists are said to have appealed for discipline and peaceful conduct during the protests. There appear to be no videos, speeches, or credible evidence to substantiate the charges of incitement,” the forum said.
The forum claimed that sub inspectors and drivers from the police department have shared inflammatory content on WhatsApp groups, which has aggravated the situation. It also raised concerns over the il treatment of those supporting the workers’ protest.
“Moreover, the large-scale arrests-reportedly involving nearly 500 workers and several activists- and the lack of clarity regarding the whereabouts of some detainees point to grave violations of human rights and due process,” it said.
The HRS demanded the immediate release of the detained protestors and withdrawal of false cases against them; increasing minimum wages to Rs 22,000 and fulfilment of the workers’ legitimate demands Immediate intervention by the Government of Uttar Pradesh to stop harassment and initiate dialogue between the Labour Department and the protesting workers.
