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Job security and better pay. With these two demands, hundreds of women who work the phones for the Dial 112 emergency helpline in Lucknow have been protesting for the last four days — with little intention of backing down. Donning their purple and mustard uniform, the women, employed as communication officers, have been sitting in protest at Lucknow’s Eco Garden. They say that they were assaulted by the police earlier this week, when they started marching peacefully to the Chief Minister’s residence.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Thursday, Priya Tewari (26), an MSc holder in Mathematics from Purvanchal University, said: “We have been working at the same salary of Rs 11,400 for five years. We demand that our salaries be increased to Rs 18,000. When we started the protest, officials at our office shut outside access and even locked the toilets, saying we should protest without such facilities.”
Tewari, who is from Azamgarh, is the sole breadwinner for her family of four. “I have to send money home, and live here on rent. My two younger sisters, aged 22 and 16, depend on my salary for their school and college fees.”
The workers, during their nine-hour shifts, handle distress calls from across Uttar Pradesh. Their job entails getting details of the emergency – from road accidents to crimes against women to harassment – and relaying that information to Dial 112 vehicles with police personnel posted at different locations across the state. On an average, a Communication Officer handles around 600 calls a day. During festivals, the frequency increases. The state has around 850 such employees, including 750 in Lucknow, 50 in Prayagraj and 50 in Ghaziabad.
“The contract company which had the tender for our jobs changed this month. The new private company didn’t clarify if our jobs were secure. Plus, they said our salary will remain the same,” she said. Another Communication Officer, Neha Pal (25), from Rae Bareli district, has a Masters in Economics from Feroze Gandhi College. She said the Rs 11,400 doesn’t last more than 15 days.
“I have been working here for four years at the same salary. I also have to send money for my mother’s treatment. I have to pay Rs 3,500 for just a single room,” she said. “We have to go hungry on multiple nights.”
Rinki Yadav (26) suffered injuries on her left leg during the alleged lathi charge on the protesting women on Tuesday. With a bandage on her leg, she sat at the protest site and said, “Police personnel hit me on the leg and hands. I have multiple injuries. This happened on Monday.”
DCP (Lucknow) Vineet Jaiswal, however, said no force was used on the protesters.
On Wednesday, Lucknow Police had registered an FIR against the protesting women on charges of rioting. On Tuesday, when the women were marching to the Chief Minister’s residence, police dispersed them, saying orders under section 144 of the CrPC were in place in the state capital.
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The FIR on Wednesday was lodged against five named and 150 unidentified women.
Contacted by The Indian Express on Thursday, SP (Dial 112) Sushil Kumar Shukla said that a discussion with the protesting workers was held on Wednesday evening. “Some issues were being resolved but no conclusion could be reached,” said Shukla.
Opposition parties, including the SP and RLD, have extended support to the protest.
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