Hyderabad: There was high drama at the Gandhi Hospital on Tuesday with four home guards threatening to commit suicide by jumping from the top of the building if the government ignores their demands. Another home guard suffered injuries on his legs when he tried to set himself ablaze inside the Home Guard Welfare Association building at Amber-pet.
Meanwhile, police took 40 home guards into custody during the wee hours. Home Guards Welfare Association leader Sakinala Narayana who was on a fast unto death was forcibly shifted to hospital.
The association members say home guards are the most vulnerable and exploited group in law enforcement and are not paid for their hard work. The trouble escalated on the third day of the protest, when a police team came to the Association building to shift Narayana to hospital as his health was deteriorating.
A group of over 40 home guards tried to stop the police entering into the building and did not allow them to shift Narayana to hospital. Police then detained the home guards and shifted them to OU police station.
"We had to take them into preventive custody in order to take Narayana to hospital. After Narayana was taken to hospital the home guards were let off from the police station," said East Zone DCP V. Ravinder.
While the police was trying to detain them, one of the home guards tried to light himself to end his life and sustained injuries. Police soon extinguished the fire and shifted him to Gandhi Hospital, where another drama unfolded.
“Four of the home guards got to the top of the building and threatened to jump. But police stopped them,” an eyewitness said. The home guards have been demanding government's attention since two years.
They had demanded a reservation of 15% for them in police constable recruitment. They also had demanded to make their positions permanent in the department and stop contract appointments.
Later in the evening, the association members said the government had agreed to hold talks with him on the issue. Home minister Nayini Narasimha Reddy said that a retired home guard, who had earlier contested as independent to the Assembly is behind the ongoing movement. He said that all other home guards are happy about their positions.
