Date:10/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/10/stories/2005051010510500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Paramedical staff lathicharged

Staff Reporter

VOCAL PROTEST: Paramedical staff staging a demonstration in front of the Directorate of Medical and Health Services in Hyderabad on Monday against the delay in the regularisation of their services. — Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: Over 300 members of the Andhra Pradesh Medical and Vaidya Vidhana Parishad Employees' Union were lathicharged and arrested by the police on Monday after they staged a sit-in protest against the Government's failure to honour its promise of regularising their services. The protest was organised by the union in front of the Directorate of Medical Services, Koti.

The arrested included leaders of the union V. Rajagopalan, Bhoopal, P.Bhaskar, Y. Siddhayya, G.Jyoti, Lakshminarayana, Madusudhan, Prasad, Sridevi and Kamala. M. Rangaiah, president, in a condemned the arrest and gave a call to the nursing and paramedical staff in the districts to stage protest demonstrations by sporting black badges and staging dharnas against the police action.

He charged the Government with not honouring its assurance given during the budget session of the Assembly on regularisation of the services of the contract staff.

Mr. Siddhayya said the police action was unwarranted as the members of the union were staging a "peaceful" protest.