Police foil rally attempt
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 02 2015: Village Defence Force (VDF) personnel's bid to take out a rally till the Assembly complex to hand over their demands to the Assembly Speaker was foiled by the police today.

A large number of VDF personnel, under the aegis of All Manipur VDF Welfare Association, started out to march till the Assembly complex, where a sitting is currently on, from Tera bazar today afternoon.

Personnel of Imphal West district police led by S Sachidananda, DSP (Commando) and RK Saklemba, SDPO, Lamphel arrived at the spot and prevented them from marching towards the Assembly Secretariat from the starting point.

Later six VDF personnel including the Welfare Association general secretary were taken by the police personnel to submit their demand before the Speaker.

Speaking to media persons, one of the protesters said that there are around 10,500 VDF personnel in the State and the All Manipur VDF Welfare Association is formed to look after the welfare of the personnel.

A meeting of the VDF personnel held today morning at Tera bazar and attended by representatives from all districts of the State decided to raise their demands pertaining to their welfare to the Assembly Speaker.

The Association had also already highlighted their demands to the CM.

A VDF personnel said that they have been assigned tasks of the regular police personnel with a meagre monthly honorarium.

Despite their service insecurity, they have been utilised by the Government in all works, he pointed out while urging he authority concerned to revise their honorarium or service condition at the earliest.

The memorandum submitted today to the Speaker included demands for hiking the honorarium of VDF personnel to Rs 10,000 per month, 13 months pay for them or not to assign duties to them on Sunday and general holidays, extension of time to time adequate facilities to VDF personnel, to establish a separate battalion for the VDF personnel at the earliest to be headed by an SP and a service book for the VDF personnel, etc.

Urging the Govt to fulfill the demands and implement them before the end of March this year, the VDF personnel warned of launching various forms of agitation if no measures are taken up to meet their demands.

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