LAHORE: Tension mounted at the protest camp of the Lady Health Workers (LHWs) outside the Civil Secretariat here on Thursday when a police officer reportedly misbehaved with them and warned to disperse them ‘by force’ for not leaving the agitation venue.

A mobile phone video clip also surfaced showing heated arguments between the LHWs and Islampura circle deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sobay Khan.

Over 200 LHWs came from all over the province including Lahore and staged a sit-in demanding pay increase, service structure and allowances. They had blocked one side of a road, throwing the traffic out of gear. Meanwhile, many police officers turned up there under the command of DSP Sobay Khan. Some witnesses said that the DSP held negotiations with the representatives of the protestors and asked them to leave the venue.

The LHWs refused to obey his directions and made it conditional with the arrival of the health minister at the venue to give assurance to address their issues. The witnesses said the issue led to heated arguments between the two sides. Meanwhile, the DSP hurled threats at the protesting female workers to disperse them by force. He also warned to uproot their protest camp for not ending the agitation which annoyed the LHWs who demanded action against the DSP for hurling them threats. They also demanded from the higher authorities to suspend from service the DSP for misbehaving with the female government employees publicly.

The issue remained tense there for some hours. The LHWs continued their agitation outside the Civil Secretariat till filing of this report at 10pm

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2021