Siliguri, 09th March: Members of the All Bengal Railway Hawkers Union staged a sit-in protest on Monday alleging continuous harassment and mistreatment of hawkers.
The protest was held in front of the ADRM office at New Jalpaiguri (NJP). Hawkers claimed that they have been facing various forms of harassment for a long time. According to the protesters, they are often prevented from working on trains or at stations and in several cases are allegedly detained and even sent to jail.
The union members stated that they had previously organised peaceful demonstrations and submitted memorandums to railway authorities, but their issues remain unresolved. They alleged that despite informing several senior railway officials about the matter, no concrete steps have been taken so far.
The demonstration was led by Sujay Sarkar, president of the Siliguri Town Block III labour organisation. He warned that if the problems of hawkers are not resolved soon, they will be compelled to launch a larger movement in the coming days.