The 42-day strike by Village Revenue Assistants (VRAs) took a serious turn on Sunday, when one of them, Koraboina Ashok (25), hanged himself at Bolarum village of Nagireddypet mandal in Kamareddy district.
This was the second suicide by a VRA since the commencement of the agitation demanding payment as per the pay scales of the government. The earlier one was by Challa Ramesh at Machareddy in the same Kamareddy district, according to co-convenor of the State-level joint action committee of VRAs Y. Venkatesh Yadav.
The relatives of Mr. Ashok and a large number of VRAs staged a dharna on Sunday with his body near the government hospital at Yellareddy resenting the ‘indifference’ of the government towards the demand of pay scales. A scuffle ensued between the demonstrators and police when the latter tried to disperse the mob.
Mr. Yadav said that the VRAs were paid a consolidated honorarium of ₹10,500 per month though they discharged duties at gram panchayats as last paid government employees. The promotional channel to them as Village Revenue Officers was banished after the institution of VROs was scrapped two years ago. With no hope of promotion, the VRAs demanded regular pay scales which Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao conceded in the Assembly. But, the government took no follow up action which drove them to launch the agitation. They abstained from work and sat at strike camps near mandal offices for the last 42 days, Mr. Yadav said.
(Roshni suicide prevention helpline: +914066202000)
