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Police action on RRB NTPC protests: Priyanka video-chats with ‘affected’ youth, promises support
Priyanka promised all support to them in their fight. She also promised to visit Sangam city soon and talk to them face-to-face.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra virtually talked to some youngsters residing in rented rooms of lodges in Prayagraj who were allegedly beaten up during the police action in a raid on the night of January 25, on Thursday. She promised all support to them in their fight. She also promised to visit Sangam city soon and talk to them face-to-face.
The interaction through Zoom meeting came following videos of policemen barging into lodges housing students and aspirants of various government recruitment exams after breaking open doors and caning them late in the night on January 25.
The police’s midnight raid had come within hours of angry aspirants trying to stop trains at Prayag railway station, upset over certain aspects of Railway Recruitment Board’s Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) recruitment exam.
This had led to the police, Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force (RPF) reaching the spot along with railway officials and the police using mild force when the aspirants refused to disperse. Some of the protestors were also detained by the police. This had drawn criticism from leaders across the political spectrum including the Congress, SP and BSP among others.
On Thursday, the Congress leader talked to some of the affected aspirants including Pravesh Kumar Mishra, Saurabh Yadav, Dharmendra Sahu and Ankit Verma among others, and enquired about the late night raid of the police on their lodges and alleged reports of them being assaulted by the police, informed state president of National Students Union of India (NSUI) Akhilesh Yadav, who helped organise the Zoom interaction.
“We shared how the police raided the rooms of lodges, dragged us out and beat us with canes,” shared Pravesh.
“I am with you. We all are standing with you. We will raise your issue on every platform and forum. Don’t be scared just ensure that the (upcoming) elections are held on issues closest to you like employment. On one hand the government fails to provide you jobs and on the other resorts to your repression. When leaders come to seek your votes, fix their accountability,” she said during her interaction with the youngsters, all of whom reside in rented rooms in the lodges in the Chota and Bada Bhagada localities of Prayagraj.
Priyanka also highlighted her party’s promise of coming out with a definite ‘job calendar’ if voted to power in the upcoming assembly election. The party has promised that the calendar will advertise the dates of recruitment tests, interviews and appointments. The Congress has also said it will ensure the recruitment process is completed within six months of the date of announcement of jobs.
Earlier on Wednesday, Priyanka Gandhi had condemned the “repression” of candidates of RRB Non-Technical Popular Categories (RRB NTPC) and the Level 1 exams and urged the government to find a solution to their problems through dialogue. Through her tweets, she had also appealed to protesting job aspirants to keep walking on the path of ‘satyagraha’ in a peaceful manner, saying there is a lot of power in it.
“No amount of condemnation is enough for the repression of the youth associated with Railway NTPC and Group D examinations,” the Congress general secretary had said in a tweet while also demanding immediate release of the arrested aspirants.
“The government should immediately talk to the youth associated with both the examinations and solve their problems,” she had said. The Congress leader had added that the government should put a stop to the action of entering hostels of students for carrying out searches and damaging property.
