Senapati: Senapati district VDF guardian association organized a protest in support of Village Defence Force (VDF) to fulfill the demands of their near and dear ones at the earliest, held at Senapati local ground on Thursday. The sit-in protest was also attended by the VDF family members including their children. The protesters also shouted slogans in support of VDF to fulfill the demand of VDF.
The association said they support and demand the regularization of their services by framing rules and regulations in similar lines with the police manual Act by paying equal pay as police constable. The association also demanded 13 months’ pay and a separate formation on the lines of a battalion where discipline is maintained among the personnel by deputing rank and file as per seniority in a similar fashion to that of personnel in Manipur police.
The protesters seated with placards and banners some of which reads “Allot 13 months pay”, “Regularize VDF personnel by framing R/R”, “We the parents and guardians stands for our sons”, “Until the demands are fulfilled protest will be intensified”, ”Children of VDF deserve proper education”, “Echa singi matamga chunaba khut sumal pibiyu”, “We firmly stand for our near and dear ones”, “Let the demands of our dear VDFs be fulfilled at the earliest”, “Establish separate wing/battalion for VDF” “Families and children of VDF are suffering, we have nothing for the survival” etc.
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A member from the guardian association speaking to media stated that until VDF demand is fulfilled by the state government the association will be compelled to take up another course of agitation in near future. A woman participating in the protest said, as a wife of VDF the salary received by her husband cannot maintain the family needs and is worried for their children’s education.
Speaking to this correspondent on the condition of anonymity said, VDF deserve equal rights and privileges with state police as their nature of duty is the same. He said the children of VDF are performing well in their academy in this recently declared class 10 and 12 result and VDF children are also studying MBBS. However, he said the meager amount of their salaries cannot support their children’s education. He further stated that they are in service for the last 13 years and they cannot look for another job/service and without regularization of their service their career is very uncertain and their salary cannot support their family.
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