WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:03.399 In this episode, we talk about a Supreme Court mandate 2 00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:06.919 from twenty twenty, according to which CCTV cameras were to 3 00:00:06.919 --> 00:00:10.480 be installed in police stations to monitor and kurb custodial 4 00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:14.240 torture and deaths. We also talk about former Bangladesh Prime 5 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:18.000 Minister Sheik Hasina making her first public media appearance in 6 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.960 two years from New Delhi, saying she would return to 7 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:25.679 Bangladesh despite fears of getting arrested or even killed. But 8 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:28.719 first we talk about the wave of protests unfolding in 9 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:36.439 Punjab just months ahead of the assembly elections. Hi, I 10 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.479 am Hrikananda and you are listening to three things there 11 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:46.679 in an Express News show. Over the last two months, 12 00:00:46.679 --> 00:00:50.320 Punjab has witnessed a series of protests by employee unions, 13 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:55.719 contractual workers, unemployed youth, pension seekers and several other groups, 14 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:59.600 all demanding better wages, regular recruitment and the fulfillment of 15 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:03.679 promise made by the government. These protests and strikes, often 16 00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.560 taking place simultaneously, have tested the state government's ability to 17 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:11.239 manage the unrest and the political fallout while ensuring that 18 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:15.519 essential services don't suffer. So to understand why these groups 19 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:18.079 have taken to the streets, what their key demands are 20 00:01:18.359 --> 00:01:20.959 and how the ARP government is responding to them. We 21 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.079 speak to the Indian Expresses Raki Jagga, who reports on 22 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:27.719 Punjab for the paper. Raki, could you explain to us 23 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:32.640 why protests by different groups are intensifying in Punjab just 24 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:34.280 ahead of the semi elections. 25 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:37.840 Yeah, the protests are happening because it's not a new 26 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:40.959 thing that the protests are happening ahead of the polls. 27 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:44.040 It's a normal practice. If we see even in any 28 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:46.640 pole bound state. So six or seven months ahead of 29 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:50.879 the elections, a number of unions they intensify their protests, 30 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:53.879 although they keep on organizing their protests if their demands 31 00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:56.000 are not met from time to time. But I mean 32 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:58.920 six or seven months ahead of the poles they intensify 33 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:01.879 because they they tend to build a pressure on the 34 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.239 ruling government that the elections are coming in and they 35 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:07.560 may get few of their demands fulfilled. 36 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:09.879 And even if they won't be able to. 37 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:13.159 Get the demands fulfit, they can get that opposition's sympathy 38 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:17.280 and all, and maybe the opposition can include their demands 39 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:18.280 in their manifestos. 40 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:18.879 So this is a. 41 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:23.360 Reason the employees' unions and even the farmers, the laborers. 42 00:02:23.639 --> 00:02:26.800 They have a common practice to intensify their protests ahead 43 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:29.840 of the polls. Although in Punjab there had been regular 44 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:32.639 protests in the last four years, but now I mean 45 00:02:32.639 --> 00:02:34.039 the intensity has increased. 46 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.080 And can you tell us which are the major groups 47 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:38.000 currently protesting. 48 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:43.400 Yeah, the protests started with the linemen, the apprentices. They 49 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:46.199 started their protests in June. They were the students we 50 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:49.120 can say sort of students only the ones who complete 51 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:52.240 their apprenticeship courts for the linemen in a trade, so 52 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:54.840 they are giving some training and then after a test 53 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:58.120 they can be recruited as linemen in the Electricity Board. 54 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:01.520 Initially they were the ones who were testing in June 55 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:05.360 and they were brutally latly charged on June five. And 56 00:03:05.400 --> 00:03:08.039 then they were protests by other groups as well. I'm 57 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:11.039 in like the unemployed unions. These continue happening, but now 58 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:14.560 in July the protests were being done by the regular 59 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:18.960 employees of Electricity Board for better grades, the doctors and 60 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:22.800 the paramedic staff of the Amadnik clinics and they were 61 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.759 protest by the Narrega workers for pending wages and they 62 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:30.560 wanted regularization, and they were protested by the salitation workers 63 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:33.960 as well for regularization and also for better wages, and 64 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.879 the ASHA, the aggredited social health activists, they are continuing 65 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:42.000 their protests even now. And there are health workers who 66 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:45.680 called themselves as Corona warriors because they were recruited during 67 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.240 the Corona period. So they are the ones who are 68 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:50.599 still sitting on protests even now. 69 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:54.319 So let's start with sanitation workers. Why were they on strike? 70 00:03:54.960 --> 00:03:58.479 Yeah, the sanitation workers, they were on strike since July 71 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:02.199 eight earlier. They were on strike for sixteen or seventeen 72 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:04.240 days in May as well. So there are more than 73 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:08.879 twenty five thousand sanitation workers and a part of them 74 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.719 are on track, and the number of the workers who 75 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:14.520 are on regular roles they're very less. But the regular 76 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:17.959 ones were just supporting the outsourced and the contractual persons 77 00:04:17.959 --> 00:04:20.480 and they were on strike that they were seeking on 78 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.839 minimum wages up to forty thousand per month. 79 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:25.240 That they said that we are doing a. 80 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:28.560 Hazardous work and this work which is not done by 81 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:31.199 anyone else, and we are looked down upon for doing 82 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:33.240 this work, so we should be paid well. And the 83 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:35.519 other thing was that they said we should not be 84 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:37.920 outsourced or we should not be on contract. 85 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:40.720 We should be on regular roles. So these were the 86 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:41.600 main demands. 87 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:44.480 And not only the workers who are in field who 88 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:47.199 are doing the cleaning jobs and the severmen there. 89 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:48.360 Are back off his staff as well. 90 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:54.399 There are gardeners, baildars, electricians or peons in the sanitation department. 91 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:58.000 They were also along with these persons that who wanted 92 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.720 I mean the better grade. So everyone was along with 93 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:04.079 and they were doing the strike. And because the monsoon 94 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:05.959 is on full swing, the Punjab was in a very 95 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:09.399 bad state and choked sievers and the roads full of 96 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:12.680 garbage and all. So it was really a hard time 97 00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:16.759 for the government to convince these employees. And finally on 98 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:21.839 Monday late evening, the Local Government Minister Hajutsinghbanks was able 99 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:25.040 to convince these striking employees to call off the strike. 100 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:28.879 Right and even employees working in the power sector have 101 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:31.079 been demanding better wages, right. 102 00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:35.000 Yeah, the power employees also again I mean for better wages. 103 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:37.759 They said that there was one notification issued by the 104 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:42.680 previous Congress government in July twenty twenty and because of 105 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:46.600 that the Punjab government they had implemented the central payscales 106 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:49.439 and I mean according to the power sector employees they 107 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:53.079 said that Punjab's quality of living is much better than 108 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.240 the national average and hence the state payscales were on 109 00:05:56.279 --> 00:05:59.040 a better side than central pay scales. I mean when 110 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.759 Punjab government had started this department, the Power Sector department, 111 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:05.360 and they said when they were shifted to the central 112 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:09.000 pace case, so it was kind of for demotion for them, 113 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:11.240 I mean in sort of salaries. So they said that 114 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:14.199 central pace calls are paying them less, so they want 115 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:17.040 that notification to be withdrawn and they should be given 116 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:20.279 state paycills only. And at the same time again and 117 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:22.959 a number of employees in the power sector they are 118 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:25.720 on contract and they want them on regular roles. And 119 00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:28.879 in power sector there is a scheme that because it's 120 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:32.399 a high risk job and if you die while on duty, 121 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.959 so the family members they get job on compassionate ground. 122 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:39.000 So there were many cases pending in which the families 123 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:43.160 were waiting for jobs on compassionate ground. So these were 124 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:47.680 the various reasons. And there were around eighteen or twenty 125 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:50.680 thousand employees they were on strike and another five or 126 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:52.839 six thousand they were on contract, so they were also 127 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:57.000 supporting them. So finally the Power Minister he was able 128 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:00.959 to convince the striking employees on twenty six July, and 129 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:04.480 these power sector employees, they have temporarily called of their strike. 130 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:07.959 They said, we are waiting till August fifteen for the 131 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:11.720 formal implementation of a number of demands and if they 132 00:07:11.720 --> 00:07:14.199 will not be implemented in later and spirit, I mean 133 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:16.720 as they have been promised, so they said they may 134 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:19.279 resume the strike after August fifteen. 135 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:22.839 Yet again, and now we come to the Manrega employees. 136 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:26.920 What concerns have been expressed by them regarding their working 137 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:29.439 conditions Manrega employees. 138 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:31.720 I mean, these are the ones around twenty one hundred 139 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:34.439 of them. They are the ones the back office staff, 140 00:07:34.439 --> 00:07:37.360 the ones who run the system, I mean the supervisor, 141 00:07:37.399 --> 00:07:41.920 the gram say works, the computer operators, and the coordinators, 142 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:44.920 the ones who coordinate with the entire these NAEGA workers. 143 00:07:45.079 --> 00:07:47.800 So they are on wages. And the rest NAEGA workers 144 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:49.680 they are on daily beges now the three hundred and 145 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:53.120 sixty or soap per day. But these people around twenty 146 00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:55.720 one hundred persons, the back of his staff, they get 147 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:59.560 regular wages. So they were saying that they are on contract. 148 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:02.600 When Nearrega's scheme started in two thousand and five and 149 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:05.360 since then a number of them they are working since 150 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:07.839 two thousand and five, and they wanted now to be 151 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:12.199 on regular roles before being switched to this Viksitbaharat, the 152 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:15.279 GMG scheme, and that's why they were saying that we 153 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.720 won't sign the fresh contract under GMG, but unless and 154 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:21.040 until we are giving an assurance that will be on 155 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:25.560 regular roles and working with the Rural Development and Punchaya Department. 156 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:29.600 And in addition to this, their wages since January they 157 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:33.080 were pending, and their wages are in the range of 158 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:39.080 eighteen thousand to fifty thousand, depending on the various designations. 159 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:39.360 The employees they work. 160 00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:42.080 So for the pending wages, they were on strike since 161 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:47.639 June one, and on July seventeen they were even issued 162 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:50.360 a warning letter that if they don't sign a contract 163 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:53.519 under GMG, so they'll be terminated and the new fresh 164 00:08:53.559 --> 00:08:56.639 recruities will be given the jobs. Even then, they had 165 00:08:57.159 --> 00:08:59.440 continued with this strike, but in the mid of the 166 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:03.080 July government was able to mount pressure on them, so 167 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:06.559 they called off their strike and then they signed contracts 168 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:10.480 under GRAMG and now under JIRAMG they are not on 169 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.679 regular roles. They are rather again on contract, or rather 170 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:16.759 their contract starts from day one and Raki. 171 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:21.360 Interestingly, Sangrur, which is the CM's home district, has become 172 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:24.320 the center for unrest. Do we know why that is? 173 00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:28.480 Yeah, I mean wherever the CM lives, so the employees' 174 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:32.159 unions they always try to march towards that city. Only 175 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:35.240 when Kaptain Brinder Singh was the CM, the Pateala used 176 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:38.759 to be the favorite hotspot for the employees unions to protest. 177 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:43.159 And when Procasting Badel was the CM, especially his home 178 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:46.360 I mean native village Badel in books a district that 179 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:49.440 used to be the favorite hotspot for the employees unions 180 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:52.879 and other protesters to protest. And now that the same way, 181 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.200 the CM hails from Sangrur. He hails from Sathage village 182 00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:59.879 which is in Sangrur and he also has a accommodation 183 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:04.320 innegated colony in Sangrooves. So the employees' unions they tend 184 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:07.240 to go towards that gated colony only where the SAM 185 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:10.159 has a house. And although he rarely visits that house, 186 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:12.519 but I mean it's a symbolic thing that the it's 187 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:16.519 a SAM house and whenever sm visits Sangurur. So he 188 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:20.080 do visits his house and there is a security outside 189 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:22.440 that house. So I mean there's huge police force outside 190 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:26.519 that gated colony. Only a police never allows the protesters 191 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:28.720 to go inside the gate of that colony. But the 192 00:10:28.759 --> 00:10:32.639 protesters always they march towards that road. It's a state highway, 193 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:35.440 the Sangrur Patala Highway. They march towards that road and 194 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:38.440 then there is a barricading about one kilometer ahead of 195 00:10:38.519 --> 00:10:41.720 that colony and most of the times police they don't. 196 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:42.720 Allow them to march ahead. 197 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:46.440 And ultimately a number of times a forces used, then 198 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:49.559 they turn back or they give their memorandum and then 199 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:52.159 they turn back. So this is a reason the Sangrur 200 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.799 is a hot spot because the sm lives there and 201 00:10:54.919 --> 00:10:57.879 if they are doing a protest in Sangurur, so they 202 00:10:57.960 --> 00:10:59.960 think that they'll be heard of or maybe they may 203 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:04.240 get some attention from the media or maybe from the 204 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:08.200 officers because a lot of VIP movement keeps on happening 205 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:08.840 in their district. 206 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:13.559 Right and how has the ARP government responded to these protests? 207 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:16.279 How were they able to bring the protests to a halt. 208 00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:19.320 Yeah, the ARP government as I told you that in 209 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:22.840 the Naraga strike that they were able to convince them 210 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:24.840 or they were able to mount pressure on them. So 211 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:29.120 the finally they made them join the GMG scheme. But 212 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:31.840 the ARP government they have given them the wages I mean, 213 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:34.039 although the wages are still pending, but they were shored 214 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:37.360 these striking employees that they'll be paid back the wages 215 00:11:37.639 --> 00:11:40.879 of the period during which they did the strike. And 216 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:45.840 at the same time they also withdrew their termination letter 217 00:11:45.879 --> 00:11:50.639 as well. And in sanitation workers strike, Ahmadaming government they 218 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:53.720 gave a lot of things the employees. They were earlier 219 00:11:53.799 --> 00:11:57.320 on ten thousand and five hundred dollars per month salary 220 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:00.919 only the contractual workers, and on May May one, the 221 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.519 labor day, their salary was raised to fourteen thousand per month. 222 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:07.879 And now when they were doing the strike in July, 223 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:11.720 Josing Banks, he announced that the salary of the contractual 224 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:15.600 employees has been raised to twenty five and twenty per 225 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:18.360 month and that is equivalent to the salary of a 226 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:21.840 regular employee who's on probation. And at the same time 227 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:26.320 they announced that the contractual employees who have completed five 228 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:29.879 years of job in contract, the ones who are doing 229 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:34.039 the hazardous jobs, they'll be put on regular roles. And 230 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:37.840 the outsourced employees who have completed that in hour of 231 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:41.679 three years of the job under outsourced company, they will 232 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:44.879 be put on contract. And the government had to have 233 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:48.519 made all these changes because on July twenty two, while 234 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:52.039 these employees they were protesting rather I will say that, 235 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:54.720 because there was a lot of garbage lying on the roads, 236 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:57.480 so the government was making their own efforts to get 237 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:00.000 that garbage cleaned from the roads, and the sanitition employ 238 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.600 they were preventing the private staff and the government authorities 239 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:06.200 and the police who were getting it cleaned not to 240 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:10.840 get it cleaned. So during that episode, clash happened and 241 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:14.720 these employees, including the women employees, women's sanitation workers, they 242 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:18.320 were brutally lati charged by the punjapolice and that was 243 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:19.240 got on camera. 244 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:20.639 The videos went viral. 245 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.720 Thirteen workers got injured, and I mean it became a 246 00:13:23.799 --> 00:13:26.799 huge political issue in the country because on one hand, 247 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:30.480 the Amadmi Party was protesting the Gentlemantha police force and 248 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:32.799 on the next day, only July twenty two, this thing 249 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:35.720 happened in Bernalla, so they had to suspend two police 250 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:39.279 employees and after July twenty two only they announced so 251 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:43.360 many things and hiking wages and the other reforms. 252 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:47.399 And keeping this in mind, what was the opposition's response 253 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:48.440 to these protests? 254 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:52.720 The opposition as I said that once the Bernala Lati 255 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:56.639 charge happened, then the opposition was all out against the 256 00:13:56.679 --> 00:14:00.080 Amadhme Party and Amadmi Party was literally at the receiving 257 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:04.279 and the party normally while they're addressing the workers because 258 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:08.559 the power sector and the sanitation these all are essential 259 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:12.000 kind of services, so they used to be very strict 260 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:15.759 with these employees even while appealing them. So after this thing, 261 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:19.919 once are all the opposition and the Congress, the BJP, 262 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:23.519 they were all out against them. So Amame party was 263 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:28.759 literally cornered and BGP President Caver saying Hillo, he even 264 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:32.559 gave ten thousand rupees each to all the injured sanitation 265 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:37.759 workers from his own pocket. And the opposition reacted strongly 266 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:41.679 and they said we fully support the striking employees. So 267 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:44.759 that's how the employees were getting a boost and ruling 268 00:14:44.799 --> 00:14:47.840 party was being cornered and they were under pressure to 269 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:49.559 get the strike result. 270 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.679 So Raki, how do we see these larger issues being 271 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:56.840 resolved and what can we expect in the upcoming days. 272 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:01.240 Although these major strikes they have ended, but still these 273 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:02.960 are temporary kinds of arrangements. 274 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:04.960 They may again come on strike. 275 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.960 And the larger challenge is coming from the employees, the 276 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:11.360 regular employees of more than fifty government departments who have 277 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:15.399 not been given eighteen percent pending dearness allowance and that 278 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:18.120 courte case is going on and those employees are also 279 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:22.399 planning major protests in the coming weeks although they are 280 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:25.360 fighting a legal battle as well. The Corona warriors, as 281 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:28.799 I mentioned, they are sitting on strike in Pateala. They 282 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:32.559 were the temporary employees who were recruited during Corona period 283 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:35.240 and they were recruited for a short period because at 284 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:39.240 that time the department needed more health workers. And now 285 00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:43.159 they're saying that we want regular jobs and the ASHAs 286 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:46.440 they are still on strike. They want the better incentives 287 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:50.639 and they want that minimum stipend of ten thousand per 288 00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:53.080 month should be given to them apart from the rest 289 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:56.080 of the incentives and they want graduty other things as 290 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:57.840 well on lines of Haryana government. 291 00:15:58.080 --> 00:15:59.919 And in addition to this, the farmer unit. 292 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:04.320 They are planning the protests in the coming months because 293 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:07.320 as I said ur. In the electioneer everyone gets in 294 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:09.879 full mode. And then the farmer unions they are planning 295 00:16:09.879 --> 00:16:12.519 their protests not only against them in Jab government but 296 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:15.360 also against the Center government because the Center government they 297 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.919 said they did not implement MSP as a legal guarantee 298 00:16:19.159 --> 00:16:22.639 and a number of other demands and they are against 299 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:25.679 the India US trade deal as well. So the farmer unions, 300 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:28.519 the say Kissan Murchak, they're also gearing up. They're doing 301 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:32.200 many meetings. The promises which were done by the BGP 302 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:35.000 government in twenty twenty one when the protests at the 303 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:37.759 daily border that was lifted. So they said that those 304 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:40.919 promises were not fulfilled till now. So something big is 305 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:43.399 going to come up from the farmer's front as well 306 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:46.200 in the coming months. 307 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:52.600 And next. We talk about a Supreme Court mandate that 308 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:56.360 was meant to make police stations more accountable. Back in 309 00:16:56.399 --> 00:16:59.960 twenty twenty, the Supreme Court had directed that CCTV cameras 310 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:04.079 installed in all police stations across the country in order 311 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:07.319 to come custodial torture and debts and ensure that what 312 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:10.200 happens inside police premises can be monitored. 313 00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:18.000 These cameras also safeguard honest police officers from false allegations 314 00:17:18.039 --> 00:17:18.839 of abuse. 315 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:22.960 That's the Indian expresses Beneath Bahla, who reported on the 316 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:24.000 story for the paper. 317 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:29.119 So the idea behind these CCTV cameras is to bring 318 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:34.599 about transparency when it comes to allegations of custodial violence. 319 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:38.319 But a new report submitted to the Court has found 320 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:41.680 that many states are yet to install CCTV cameras in 321 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:46.400 their police stations and that has raised larger questions about implementation. 322 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:49.279 Some states say that they have enough funds of their 323 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:52.680 own to install the CCTV cameras because their proposals have 324 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:56.599 been approved, but the assistance have not been provided by Center, 325 00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:01.000 and others have not even submitted proposals yet despite saying 326 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:04.000 they need money. So to understand why the Supreme Court 327 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:08.759 CCTV mandate has remained incomplete, Michaeleeague Chashama speaks to Beneath 328 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:09.960 in this segment. 329 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:13.119 We need to place in a broader context. Could you 330 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:17.319 help our listeners understand just how serious the problem of 331 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:19.400 custodial violence is in India. 332 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:25.720 So we actually have data regarding the number of custodial 333 00:18:25.799 --> 00:18:29.759 debts during police custody in the last few years, the 334 00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:34.319 numbers considering the size of India may not seem huge. 335 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:38.599 So for example, in the financial year twenty one twenty two, 336 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:43.359 there were one seventy six such deaths recorded. In twenty 337 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:46.319 two twenty three it was one sixty three, twenty three, 338 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:49.000 twenty four it was one fifty seven, twenty four to 339 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:52.759 twenty five it was one forty and then last year, 340 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:55.119 which is twenty five twenty six, it was one seventy. 341 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:59.559 So it's hovered around the one fifty one seventy mark. 342 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:03.559 But a like there is a possibility of this data 343 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:09.680 being underreported and be even if this data is accurate, 344 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:14.039 the fact that one hundred and fifty odd people are 345 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:18.599 dying in police custody in any year, that like those 346 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:21.920 are in itself not small numbers, right, one hundred and 347 00:19:21.960 --> 00:19:27.000 fifty people who were just accused of crimes and died 348 00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:30.359 while being held up by the police. If you hold 349 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:33.680 those numbers up against most other countries in the world, 350 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:38.000 it will come across as proportionately huge. So this is 351 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:42.319 why the Supreme Court took cognizance of this, recognized this 352 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.720 as a grave problem within our criminal justice system, and 353 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:50.279 that is why the mandate for CCTV cameras was given right. 354 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:52.960 And speaking of this report, we understand that at the 355 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:57.200 national level, twenty one states and Union territories have submitted 356 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:02.880 proposals or action plans seeking funds for CCTV installation centralized 357 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:08.279 monitoring systems. But you highlight how Jharkhund has reportedly not 358 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:11.880 installed a single camera. So do we know why the 359 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:13.960 state has fallen so far behind? 360 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:19.359 Yeah, your correct, Jarkun, according to the report, doesn't have 361 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:23.359 a single CCTV camera in any police station. According to 362 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:28.119 the report, the state's chief secretary blamed it on a 363 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:36.839 mix of interdepartmental disagreements, budgetary constraints, and other bureaucratic red 364 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:41.640 tape hurdles. They had to float tenders twice in order 365 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:47.279 to get someone to install these cameras, and they still 366 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:52.440 haven't applied for central funds under the Assistance for Modernization 367 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:57.640 of Police scheme by the Central government. So the fact 368 00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:00.240 that there are still no cameras even six years after 369 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:02.960 the judgment shows that there is a very serious lapse 370 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:04.279 on Sharkan's part. 371 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:07.839 And we need what about other states, because several states 372 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:11.400 have sought financial support through the Union government's assistance to 373 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:15.039 states and Union territories for modernization of police scheme. 374 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.880 Yeah, so again it's not. The report doesn't make for 375 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:23.680 great reading because most of the states, even ones who 376 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:28.960 have submitted proposals to the Central government for using its 377 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:33.519 scheme money for setting up these CCTV cameras. Even for 378 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:37.400 those states, the money has not come from the Central 379 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:40.640 government to them even after their proposals have been approved 380 00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:44.720 by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. In fact, Himachal 381 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:48.160 Pradesh is the only state in India that has actually 382 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:52.160 received funds this financial hear from the central government. The 383 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:55.640 delay seems to be on the center's end. The central 384 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.359 government had said that it had about eighteen fifty pro 385 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:04.400 rupees available for this more the police modernization scheme, but 386 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:09.240 in a meeting in July, the government stated that the 387 00:22:09.319 --> 00:22:13.039 scheme is lapsing and funds are now limited. So as 388 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:16.680 a result, a lot of states are caught between the 389 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:20.559 Supreme court strict monitoring and deadlines for implementing its twenty 390 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:26.200 twenty judgment and the realities of actually getting money from 391 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:30.640 the government from the central government for implementing the Supreme 392 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:31.759 Court's mandate. 393 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:36.000 Right and interestingly, some states have said that they can 394 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:39.839 financi city reinstallation themselves, So how do we read that? 395 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:44.599 So, yeah, you're correct. There are some states like Marastra, Goujrat, 396 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:48.359 Haryana and Odishav and a couple of Union territories which 397 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:50.640 have said that they have sufficient funds in their own 398 00:22:50.680 --> 00:22:54.319 state budgets for setting up these cree cameras. I think 399 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:57.440 it should be seen as a positive sign because it 400 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:01.680 shows that if there is a genuine political will, then 401 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:06.680