Near Mumbai: 80 cops deployed for a four-woman protest in Palghar

MUMBAI CITY NEWS: The protest was arranged before the chief executive officer (CEO) of Palghar Zilla Parishad. The Palghar police, however, deployed nearly 80 cops to contain the 4-women protest , should there have been a law and order situation.

The president of the Shramjivi Sanghatana and ex-Vasai MLA, Vivek Pandit staged a protest with four women to highlight the woes of the anganwadis and other issues.

The protesters submit a memorandum to the additional collector. (NIRAJ RAUT)

The protest was arranged before the chief executive officer (CEO) of Palghar Zilla Parishad. The Palghar police, however, deployed nearly 80 cops to contain the 4-women protest , should there have been a law and order situation.

Inspector Sanjay Hazare said, “We could not afford to take any chances after the fiasco on April 24. So we pressed a strong force.”

In the end, the protesters submitted a memorandum to the additional collector.

Pandit had staged a protest on April 24 before Nidhi Chaudhari, CEO,Palghar, and she was detained in her office for 3 hours. Chaudhari had filed a complaint with the Palghar police and the 37 protestors, including women, were arrested for rioting, illegal assembly, obstructing a government servant from duty and lodged in Thane Central Jail.

“We had intimated the collector about the Monday protest beforehand. We sent only four women protestors although a morcha of at least 4,000 people was what we wanted,” said Pandit. “Anganwadi workers have not been paid for five months, we protest about it, and what do we get? The CEO suspends 17 anganwadi workers for participating in the April 24 morcha. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis should take action against Nidhi Chaudhary, CEO, Palghar like he promised.”

“We will start a hunger strike before the CEO’s office from Thursday and we have already informed the Palghar collector about it,” said Pandit. The strike will be led by Seeta Ghatal, a suspended anganwadi worker, and I will also join the cyclic hunger strike to highlight the problems of the anganwadis.”