SAD condemns brutal lathi-charge on agitating nursing and ancillary staff at Patiala

Chandigarh, December 4 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the brutality unleashed on Covid health workers, including women, who were lathi-charged and thrashed for demanding the Congress government fulfill the promise made to them that their services would be regularized in view of the yeoman work done by them during the pandemic in the State.

In a statement here, party senior leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the police lathi charged and injured the Covid warriors who had congregated at Patiala to demand regularization of their services as assured by the cabinet minister Brahm Mohindra. “The police force resorted to sheer barbarism by manhandling women nursing and ancillary staff simply because they were reminding the Congress government of the promise made to them”.

Dr Cheema said it was shocking that despite the patience shown by the nursing and ancillary staff that had believed the assurance of the minister and continued to serve the people during the period of pandemic, the government was going back on the commitment made to them. He said besides regularizing the 900 Covid warriors the government should regularize all Nursing staff under probation after one year instead of two years.

Meanwhile Youth Akali Dal (YAD) President Parambans Singh Romana visited agitating nursing and ancillary staff members of Patiala, Jalalabad, Amritsar and Faridkot who were injured in the police brutality and admitted at the Government Rajindra hospital in Patiala. He assured the staff members that the SAD was with them and would ensure justice was done to them. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also talked to representatives of the Covid warriors and assured them all help in their agitation. EOM