PUNE, Jan 4: The Khadki Cantonment Board Employees Union has resolved to wear black badges to work to protest against the alleged assault of a peon at the Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) here during the recent morcha to the office of the cantonment executive officer.Board president Brig Mrinal Suman is expected to hold a meeting with the staff members in the next two days and discuss the issue. It may be mentioned here that the a morcha was held to the office of the CEO on December 31, to oppose the demolition of the Samaj Mandir represented by ward member and former vice-president Suresh Kamble and D B Yadav.In a statement issued here, the union president Bharat Naik alleged that both Kamble and Yadav rushed to the CEO's room along with a violent mob and manhandled the head peon K Venkateshwaraloo. He alleged that the participants were drunk and threatened dire consequences if the peon did not listen to them. After the incident all the office staff gathered in the CEO's chamber and demanded security for themselves. In an earlier incident, elected member Tushar Gandhi is alleged to have manhandled and abused a driver Muthuswamy Pillay and compelled him to bring a dead body in an ambulance instead of the hearse van against the order of the duty medical officer of the Cantonment General Hospital, Khadki.The union president Naik mentioned that they had met board president Brig Mrinal Suman and and demanded an assurance for protection of their lives. He also mentioned that the members had resolved to wear black badges on duty until they were assured of proper security at work, failing which they have threatened to resort to demonstrations and pen-down agitations.Vice president Baliram Sawant maintained that there was no dispute between the elected members and the staff.
