Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 22 (NationPress) In a strong response to the Kerala Police's aggressive actions on Wednesday against the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers protesting outside Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's official residence, the Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan condemned the police's behavior as extremely undemocratic.

“The ASHA workers’ fight is for a rightful demand. The government should abandon this fascist method of dealing with protests. The Chief Minister and his administration need to set aside their unnecessary pride and be open to discussions with the ASHA workers. Urgent measures should be taken to resolve the ongoing protest, which has persisted for eight months,” Satheesan remarked.

A group of ASHA workers, who have been on strike for 256 days, are demanding an increase in their honorariums and post-retirement benefits, which led to heightened agitation on Wednesday, coinciding with President Droupadi Murmu's four-day visit to the state.

Recently, the ASHA workers presented their grievances directly to President Murmu.

Under the leadership of the Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association (KAHWA), the ASHA workers have been holding a sit-in outside the state secretariat since the beginning of their protest earlier this year.

On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters breached several police barricades and faced water cannons as they attempted to reach the Chief Minister’s residence.

The demonstrators chanted slogans accusing the Left government of neglecting their long-standing demands.

Their principal demands include raising their state-funded honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000 per month and establishing a post-retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh.

“ASHA workers are the backbone of the primary health system, yet we are treated like daily wage laborers,” stated one protester.

This agitation comes despite a state government-appointed committee suggesting a modest increase of Rs 3,000 in the honorarium and a post-retirement benefit of Rs 1 lakh in August, which falls significantly short of what the workers are demanding.

The situation also relates to initiatives from the Central government.

Later in the evening, as protesters intensified their demonstration outside the Cliff House, they reported an altercation when police attempted to seize the microphone they were using.

Angry ASHA workers resisted, resulting in police forcibly removing several individuals from the scene.

“Many of us were forcibly taken away in police vehicles. We will not be intimidated by such actions. Tomorrow, we plan to observe a total protest day in response to today’s police targeting. I was assaulted by a female police officer,” an ASHA worker expressed.