Kochi: For a change, the police force that handled the sensitive nine-day old agitation by plantation workers in Munnar has come in for praise from all sections of society, including the agitators themselves.
As a token of their gratitude, the workers who called of their strike on Sunday called a victory rally and garlanded the police officials on Monday.
“The best help the police did was to ensure that the liquor shops were closed during the agitation,” said Rajan, a leader of the agitating employees.
“This ensured that there were no untoward incidents during the protest by the woman workers.”
State police chief T P Sen Kumar told Deccan Chronicle that the police had been told that woman agitators had no option but to take to the streets to get their demands, which are just met, and that they should not be tortured.
Police sources said the striking workers cooperated with the police to ensure that the agitation remained peaceful on all the nine days.
“They informed us three instances where liquor was carried in vehicles, and promptly seized them,” a police official said. “We info-rmed the same to the district collector who ordered the closure of the liquor shops.”
The police negotiated with the workers in the first three days so that the roads to the town remained open most of the time.
When the agitation became intense, the workers closed the roads from the morning to the evening, and the police, sensing the mood, did not resort to using force and instead allowed them to have their say.
The police had warned the state government against letting the agitation prolong, lest it should slip out of control as the woman agitators were a desperate lot.
During the negotiations with the company, the state government representatives took a tough stand asking it to concede the demands of the striking workers.
