Chandigarh: Haryana Police on Sunday fired water cannons and tear gas shells to disperse a large group of state government employees protesting in Panchkula for the restoration of the old pension scheme. The police acted when protesters gathered at the Panchkula-Chandigarh border tried to enter the Union Territory and marched towards the Haryana chief minister’s residence and ‘gheraoed’ them to press for their demand. Police said heavy police force was deployed at the spot on the border.
The protesters gathered under the banner of ‘Old Pension Scheme (OPS) Restoration Sangharsh Samiti’ and a representative of the panel, while talking to reporters in Panchkula, claimed that some employees were injured during the police action.
#Watch , Government employees staged a sit-in near Haryana Chief Minister’s residence in Panchkula, demanding restoration of the old pension scheme; heavy police force deployed pic.twitter.com/TrsTNzhNke– ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2023
#Watch , Water cannon used against Haryana government employees protesting demanding restoration of old pension scheme in Panchkula pic.twitter.com/x15q200xAw– ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2023
The representative of the committee said, “Restoration of OPS is a legitimate demand. Governments of Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have restored it. Not there.”
He said that an employee gives 25 to 30 years of service to a department. He said, “Politicians have been getting pension for many terms in the past as well, so what are we demanding…”.