A day before the ‘Chalo Vijayawada’ protest call, the Vijayawada police had announced that the protest did not have their permission and that prohibitory orders were in place in the city under Section 144 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure). The NTR district police commissionerate said in a press release that they had information about certain “anti-social forces” planning to instigate violence during the protests. It said that 1500 police personnel would be deployed on January 22, along with CCTV cameras and drones to heighten surveillance. Those who disobey the prohibitory orders would fake action for unlawful assembly and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, police had said.
Anganwadi workers are currently paid Rs 11,500 per month, while helpers get Rs 7,000. The demands by protesters include hiking their monthly wages to Rs 26,000, extending benefits like gratuity and insurance available to government employees, and regularising their jobs.
TDP chief and former CM Chandrababu Naidu condemned the police action on protesters. Naidu, who is in Ayodhya to attend the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, said, “It is atrocious that the government is taking retaliatory measures against the Anganwadi workers. Instead of suppressing the protests and breaking the strike in an unethical manner, that time would have been better spent on solving the problem. We strongly condemn the government’s action of detaining Anganwadis. I demand that the Chief Minister put aside his ego and focus on solving their problem.”
