India, Aug. 19 -- A sanitation workers' protest on Tuesday led to piles of garbage spilling out of dumping yards, with heaps of trash dotting roadsides across east and northeast Delhi. The workers have been on a protest since the killing of 27-year-old MCD sanitation worker Anil in Kalyanpuri on Sunday. Workers in hundreds, holding banners and photographs of B R Ambedkar, gathered on NH-24 and around Khichripur bus stand, demanding Rs 1 crore compensation for Anil's family and a government job for one of his kin. A large police contingent, including personnel from the Rapid Action Force and the Central Reserve Police Force, was deployed at the protest site as the crowd swelled. Also Read - EC revises Delhi's SIR schedule; final voter list to be published on Nov 4 Advertisement Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi on Tuesday said Anil's family would be given Rs 10 lakh as compensation and a job to one family member. He described the killing as "unfortunate" and said it appeared to have stemmed from personal reasons. The workers' union refused to accept the mayor's offer. "We have been fighting for justice here for the last 72 hours. We only want a respectable amount of compensation and a government job for our brother, so that his family can manage their livelihood in the future," said a protester. "All workers are standing here with this exact demand. But the administration is putting all kinds of pressure on us. They are picking up our leaders and detaining them," he alleged. Also Read - At least 3 killed, 3 injured as CNG cylinder explodes at fuel pump in Delhi The protest also escalated into a political confrontation after the local AAP MLA, Kuldeep Kumar, was detained early Tuesday. Police sources said Kumar was detained at around 5.15 am and released at around 3.40 pm. "We got input that Kuldeep, with other protesters, was planning to jam National Highway-24. We also got to know that he was instigating the protesters not to agree to the postmortem of the victim and to keep pressing the demand of Rs 1 crore and a government job," a police source said. AAP alleged Kumar and other workers were detained, while police said he was instigating protesters. Workers continued demanding justice.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.