BSNL protests arrest of staffers

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT

Itagar, March 29: Protesting the arrest of the SDOT and the AO (TR) of the BSNL office at Seppa, the headquarters of East Kameng district, the Joint Action Committee of Unions & Associations of BSNL Executives & Non Executives here today said BSNL employees would stage a dhar in front of the GMTD office on March 30 to register their ire.

In a press release, the organization said the two officials were arrested on March 27 when they appeared in the chief judicial magistrate’s (CJM) court in Seppa ‘for presenting the details of outstanding dues of two telephone numbers being used by the CJM.

The magistrate had issued summons to the duo to present the bill details on said date.

‘According to the Supreme Court’s judgment, any telephone bill dispute has to be settled as per S7-B of the Indian Telegraph Act. The CJM violated the SC order and prejudicially arrested the BSNL staffers without leaving any chance of obtaining bail as the following two days - March 28 and 29 - are court holidays’, the organization said.

It described the CJM’s action as ‘an act of vengeance on the BSNL employees, since the BSNL had refused to provide broadband facility to one of his telephone numbers which has outstanding due’.

The organization added that all BSNL employees would ‘go for democratic way of agitation’ if the two officials are not released immediately from judicial custody.