Saturday, January 11, 2014

CM Kejriwal’s first Janata Darbar: Protests, anger and chaos

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's first Janata Darbar to redress citizen grievances has into descended into chaos with massive crowds thronging the streets outside the Delhi secretariat.

Security personnel at the scene estimated the crowds at the secretariat at around 30,000-40,000. Despite heavy security deployed at the Delhi secretariat , crowd management is proving to be challenge with security barricades already having been breached at one point.

AFP

AFP

The Janata Darbar is looking more and more like a scene from Jantar Mantar with crowds of people marching with protest banners and sloganeering renting the air.

Many of the large groups here who are demanding to meet the CM are contract workers demanding regularisation.

"We are from the National Rural Health Mission. We want to meet the CM to demand higher wages. We have been working for years on contract for a pittance," said a lady who was accompanied by her colleagues.

A young man standing in line with his aged mother said he had been waiting in queue to meet the CM for one and a half hours. "I have come from Haryana. My father was peon at a school and after his death I was promised his job. But I am yet to be appointed."

Many citizens were angry at the chaos and at the prospect of not being able to meet the CM. "The common man is being a made a fool of. All this is just a show. Our work will never get done," said resident from Rajinder Nagar, who said he wanted to meet the CM about the illegal cancellation of a DDA plot that was alloted to him.

Another distressed Delhi resident suggested such janta durbars should be held in Ram Leela maidan given the massive crowds it has attracted.


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