Activists of the Purani Pension Bahali Sangharsh Committee and CPF Union Punjab on Wednesday condemned the detention and house arrest of several leaders ahead of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s visit to Hoshiarpur.
Many leaders were detained late Tuesday night and on Wednesday morning and were released later in the day. Following the detentions, activists shelved their plan to gherao the Chief Minister and instead staged protests outside various police stations where their colleagues had been held.
The committee had announced a black-flag protest during the Chief Minister’s visit to Bhatla village to press for restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
Among those detained were committee president Rajat Mahajan, state convener Jasvir Talwara (confined to his house), district president Sanjeev Dhoot and leaders, including Prince Palial. Detentions were reported from several police stations, including Garhdiwala, Ghunga and Mukerian.
CPF Employees Union president Sukhjit Singh, Purani Pension Pratipati Morcha leader Gurjant Singh Kokri and secretary Jarnail Singh Patti said it is the constitutional right of every citizen to protest. On the behest of the government, the police detained the leaders, which was condemnable.
Jasvir Talwara said the government had failed to fulfil its promise to restore the Old Pension Scheme for around two lakh employees, despite earlier assurances.
The leaders demanded implementation of the November 18, 2022, notification on the scheme and said they would raise the issue at the Chief Minister’s ‘Mukh Mantri Milni’ in Moga on July 4. They added that their agitation would continue until the demand is met.
