Sonawane killing: 80,000 Maha gazetted officers cease work

Mumbai, Jan 27 (PTI) Over 80,000 gazetted officers inMaharashtra today went on a cease work to protest the killingof Additional District Collector Yashwant Sonawane by membersof the oil mafia.

"We have not announced the protest as a strike but weare shunning work to register our protest against thisgruesome act which has shaken the government employees,"president of the Maharashtra Gazetted Officers MahasanghRavindra Dhongade told PTI.

The Shiv Sena has also called for a bandh in Manmad inNashik district today to protest Sonawane''s killing.

"We have asked our colleagues to shun work. We areorganising morchas and rallies to protest the killing. Ourcolleagues will meet district collector and regionalcommissioners and submit a memorandum against the incident,"he said.

At Mantralaya, government employees will hold aprotest meeting, he said.

Dhongade said the officers are shaken by the murderand lower-level officers would also join the protest. "Protestmarches will be taken out across the state. Employees willjoin immediately after registering their attendance," he said.

The Mahasangh is a representative body of gazettedofficers in the state.

"We met Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan yesterday.

He has assured us that a thorough probe will be conducted intothe incident," he said, adding attacks against stategovernment employees will not be tolerated.

Additional District Collector Yashwant Sonawane wasburnt alive by suspected members of local oil mafia.