People's Democracy

GUJARAT 

Workers Organise Protest Actions

ON November 8, trade unions in Gujarat organised joint action programmes at the call of their all-India bodies, in order to lodge protest against the neo-liberal policies of the central and state governments. These organisations included the CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, BMS, as also the organisations of LIC, bank and postal workers as well as of those working in private sector units. Railway workers also joined at places. On the day, practitioners in even labour courts and tribunals as well as the High Court also participated. Women from the Gujarat Anganwadi Karmachari Sangathan (GAKS) also joined the protest actions in large numbers.

According to an estimate, the participants numbered more than twelve thousand, inclusive of hundreds of satyagrahi female.

In Bhavnagar, the police declined to arrest all the protestors and arrested only 715 for want of police vans in adequate numbers. Here, a large number of protestors had blocked the entire road for more than two hours in front of the general post office.

At Ahmedabad, a “Chakka Jam” was organised in front of the electricity headquarters.

At Baroda, more than 350 vehicles like cycles and scooters totally blocked the roads. Here, more than a thousand protestors joined the demonstration. Loud slogans reverberated the  atmosphere.

More than 1,100 protestors came forward to court arrest at Rajkot but the police took only 360 into custody. The police vans used on the occasion were in fact sent to serve the chief minister’s so-called sadbhavna programme.

At Junagarh, about 500 persons came forward to court arrest despite the din of the overcrowded “Girnar Pradakshina” festival.

At Modasa in Sabarkantha, more than five hundred persons came forward to court arrest.

At Surat, the police absented themselves in order to avoid taking people in custody when workers took out a mass rally.

There was a mass dharna at Amreli, with the participation of 617 people. A big demonstration took place at Surendra Nagar.