A section of members belonging to the Makkal Paathukappau Sangam staged a protest in front of the Golden Rock Railway Workshop here on Tuesday and later resorted to a road roko demanding to know how several candidates from North India who were selected by the Railway Recruitment Board for the post of Grade-III at the workshop had come in large numbers for certificate verification amidst COVID-19 lockdown travel restrictions.
Railway sources said around 500 selected candidates had assembled near a marriage hall in Golden Rock area for verification of their certificates by the workshop officials. Upon coming to know about the presence of several candidates from North India, a group of members of the Makkal Paathukappu Sangam led by its president Chakrapani staged a protest in front of the workshop's armoury gate demanding that priority be given to Railway Act Apprentices of Tamil Nadu for jobs in Southern Railway and not to deprive employment prospects for candidates of Tamil Nadu.
The Sangam's general secretary Anandakumar claimed that there was no personal distancing among the selected candidates when they had come for certificate verification. He wanted to know whether the selected candidates from North India had obtained e-passes and how they managed to get the document for entry into Tiruchi when no trains or buses were being operated in the State. Following the intervention of the city police, the demonstrators dispersed from the spot. Police sources said a case had been registered against 10 members of the Sangam members for staging the demonstration during the lockdown.
