At least 20 people, including a dozen policemen, were injured when a protest by the contractual force of Sahayak police turned violent in Ranchi on Friday.
The event occurred when the ordinary police tried to control approximately 2000 Sahayak Police who had been demonstrating from July 2 at the Morabadi ground, insisting on their assimilation into the regular police service. Sahayak Police, violating the prohibitory orders, removed barriers and attacked the policemen.
The road leading to the CM’s house was closed to traffic for more than two hours as the authorities diverted traffic. Five police officials also had to be taken to the hospital for treatment, and the officer–in–charge of the Kotwali police station was left injured.
The District Administration continued claiming that dialogue was maintained, while the Sahayak Police Association claimed this was just mere eyewash pending the continuation of the strike. The clash exposed the general enmity between the regular police force and the contractual police force in Jharkhand, and both have come forward with their grievances.
Thus, as the situation has hardly become stable, the authorities will continue to face the need to strike a fine line between restoring order and responding to the Sahayak Police’s reasonable demands.
