Tent warrior

BPO employee sacked for contesting elections has launched a satyagraha from a tent pitched right in front of his company

Tent warrior

BPO employee sacked for contesting elections has launched a satyagraha from a tent pitched right in front of his company

MiD DAY had reported last week about the protest after his employer World Network Services sacked him for insisting on declaring a holiday onu00a0 April 23, the day Bangalore voted for parliamentary polls.

Santhosh, a the 33-year-old 'claims analyst' in the insurance department of the BPO company, was an independent candidate in the elections, from Bangalore (South). With total declared assets of Rs 511, he was also the poorest candidate contesting the elections.

Lone fighter: Santosh's parents inspired him to take the path of satyagrahau00a0 PIC/ RAMESH HS

Going it alone

Having pitched a tent in front of the company, Santhosh stands with a placard displaying his complaints, waging a lone war against the company's repressive attitude towards democracy.

"Satyagraha is a powerful weapon given to us by a great leader like Gandhi, I am using this weapon to protect our voting rights," Santhosh said.

So far no one has come to his support, though he hopes that Hasiru-Usiru, a group of citizens concerned about environment, would soon participate in the satyagraha.

"I have not asked anybody to join me. Sathyagraha is about inner strength. If anybody wants to support me, however, they are welcome," Santhosh added.

Inspiration at home

Santhosh was inspired to tread the path of satyagraha by his father, who had also staged a satyagraha when he was an employee with MICO.

"My father has taught me not to succumb to suppressive forces when we are right in our deeds," he said.u00a0

His mother too helps him with encouraging words. "I could do all this only because of my parents encouragement," added Santhosh.

Santosh is maintaining a simple diet of dry fruits and fruit juice. "I am a physiotherapist and I know how to eat simple and still stay strong." He takes ten-minutes off to have food at a friend's house a kilometre away, where he also freshens up, as the company has denied him permission to use its toilets.

Gross violation

According to Santosh, it was a violation of human rights to deny an individual his voting rights.

"I am not bothered about my individual case, but want to draw the government's attention to the issue andu00a0 make private companies fall in line when it comes to allowing employees to vote."

S R Nayak, chairman of the state human rights commission, who was away in Karwar, said, "It is a gross violation and we will take appropriate action."

Balakrishna, assistant commissioner, labour department said that his team would visit the company to examine whether there was any violation. The company would be "prosecuted if we find that the staff had worked on election day," he said.

According to him, a company has to declare paid holiday on the polling day according to National and Festival Holidays Act, and a violation was punishable.

C S Suranjan, chief electoral officer, said that "under the Representation of People Act it was a crime to prevent an individual from voting" and that he would take action against the company after examining the case.

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