Ludhiana DC office staff’ pen down strike ends

The strike went on a day after three contractual employees of the vehicle testing centre at Civil Lines were booked for cheating based on directions of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. Due to the strike, work remained stalled at the regional transport authority (RTA) office

: The Deputy Commissioner’s Office Employees’ Union (DCOEU) agreed to end their pen down strike at mini-secretariat on Wednesday afternoon after receiving assurances of cancellation of FIR from the commissioner of police.

DC office employees Union strike continued for the second consecutive day till 12 pm on Wednesday. The employees protest the arrest of three contract employees. in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Gurpreet Singh/ HT)

The strike went on a day after three contractual employees of the vehicle testing centre at Civil Lines were booked for cheating based on directions of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. Due to the strike, work remained stalled at the regional transport authority (RTA) office.

After DCOEU observed a full-day pen-down strike on Tuesday, the police released all three workers. The union demanding the cancellation of FIR continued its strike on Wednesday also.

Vikas Kumar Juneja, president of DCEOU said “Our strike continued till noon and everyone returned to work after that as CP Ludhiana, assured us to cancel an FIR within 24 hours.”

“We have given an ultimatum to police till Friday if the FIR is not canceled till that we will intensify our protest at the state level”, he added.

Shamsher Singh, resident of Habowal, said, “I am coming here for the past three days to get my vehicle transfer work done but every day something is going on here.”

Deeksha, resident of Lohara said, “I want to get my licence renewed but there is a strike going on since yesterday.”

The automated driving test centre near Satish Chander Dhawan (SCD) Government College also remained shut on Wednesday and residents who came there for their driving test and to get their photograph done for their driving licence had to return home disappointed.

The case

Gogi, on Monday, had conducted a surprise inspection of the automated driving test centre. The visitors complained to the MLA that some private agents take bribes to make people pass the driving test, following which, the three contractual employees were handed over to police on allegations of corruption. The three were booked under Sections 419 (cheating) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code.