70 employees detained, 6 faint in Kashmir agitation

Srinagar, Jun 10 (UNI) About 70 Jammu and Kashmir government employees were taken into custody and six others fainted when police resorted to lathicharge to disperse them after they made an abortive attempt to block the road near civil secretariat.

Thousands of employees under the banner of Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) assembled near the exhibition ground here today on the second consecutive day to protest against the state government's failure to accept their demands, which included a rise in retirement age from 58 years to 60 years and regularisation of services of adhoc, contractual and daily wagers who had completed seven years in service.

However, when they tried to march towards the main road leading to the Secretariat, police swung into action and stopped them.

When the precisionists tried to break the cordon, police resorted to lathicharge to disperse them.

Police also used water cannon to quell the crowd sources said, adding six employees fell unconscious who were later admitted to SMHS hospital.

Later, police arrested about 70 employees and bundled them in waiting police vehicles.

UNI BAS SB RN1431