Noida: Six sanitation workers held for violating gathering restrictions

However, the arrested workers were produced in a local court, which remanded them in judicial custody, another police official told PTI. Protesting outside the authority's office for the past three days, the workers said they have two main demands -- sanitation work should not be done on contract and their salary should be equal, whether contractual or permanent.

Six sanitation workers were arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Noida during a protest over salary and other issues on Friday, police officials said. They said scores of workers had gathered at the Noida Authority's Sector 6 office when they were held for violating Section 144 of the CrPC, which bars the assembly of over four people at a place. A senior official said the authorities have imposed the restrictions keeping in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Police tried to pacify the protestors and later six of them were arrested under IPC Section 151 (knowingly joining or continuing in assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse)," the officer said.

The gathering outside the office was eventually dispersed while a section of the protesters reached the nearby Shimla Park and deposited garbage on the road, demanding the release of their colleagues. However, the arrested workers were produced in a local court, which remanded them in judicial custody, another police official told PTI.

Protesting outside the authority's office for the past three days, the workers said they have two main demands -- sanitation work should not be done on contract and their salary should be equal, whether contractual or permanent. They also demanded that a new attendance system using a mobile app be done away with.

There was no official response from the Noida Authority over the protest and the arrest of sanitation workers. Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari had told PTI on Monday that the services will continue as per prevalent norms and the workers were being "misled" by a few of their leaders", who are "provoking the action to avoid the new attendance system"..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)