Kolkata, Oct. 9 -- Tension erupted on the premises of Panihati Municipality on Wednesday as contractual workers staged a protest demanding payment of their pending salaries ahead of Durga Puja. On Thursday, ASHA workers also staged a protest demanding the same. The protesters locked the civic body's main gate and staged a sit-in, disrupting access to municipal services.
The workers alleged that they had not received their regular salaries for the past five months and that several allowances remained unpaid.
BJP leaders, including North Suburban district president Chandicharan Roy and local party leader Joy Saha, faced resistance when they attempted to enter the municipal office. The situation escalated further when personnel from Khardah police station arrived and scuffles reportedly broke out between the police and the demonstrators.
While extending support to the workers' demand, Roy criticised the blockade, claiming they had initially been appointed for only six months during the Covid-19 emergency, but councillors had extended their tenure irregularly. Saha questioned the recruitment process and alleged that public money was being used to pay the salaries of councillors' personal attendants. BJP leaders alleged that outsiders were brought in to provoke the situation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.