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Several ASHA workers were Wednesday (January 21, 2026) detained successful assorted West Bengal districts portion travelling to ‘Swasthya Bhawan’, the office of the State’s Health Department, to instrumentality portion successful a march to property for their demands, including a hike successful the minimum monthly honorarium and security cover, officials said.
The protesting Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), who person been connected a ‘cease-work’ since December 23, were detained arsenic a precautionary measure, constabulary said.
A conception of the agitators claimed that constabulary acceptable up barricades extracurricular Sealdah and Howrah railway stations, wherever they arrived from assorted districts since aboriginal morning.
#WATCH | ASHA workers from crossed West Bengal protestation astatine Sealdah railway station, demanding a hike successful their wages
An ASHA idiosyncratic says, "We are demanding a fixed wage of Rs 15,000 per period arsenic compared to Rs 5000 only. We volition proceed our protestation until our request is met."
Some were seen squatting connected the plaforms astatine these railway stations.
“We person been prevented from exiting the Howrah presumption since 6.30 a.m.,” an ASHA idiosyncratic from Paschim Dinajpur claimed.
A fig of agitators were besides detained from adjacent the ‘Swasthya Bhawan’ successful the morning, wherever they had assembled to intensify their protest, constabulary said.
The agitating ASHA workers had earlier marched to the ‘Swasthya Bhawan’ connected January 8, followed by different protestation objection connected January 12, seeking a gathering with elder wellness officials implicit their long-pending request for a fixed monthly wage alternatively of performance-linked allowances.
The ASHA workers’ demands see a minimum monthly honorarium of ₹15,000 and security screen of ₹5 lakh successful lawsuit of decease connected duty.
Meanwhile, information has been tightened successful and astir ‘Swasthya Bhawan’ successful Salt Lake adjacent Kolkata, and postulation question regulated, an authoritative said.
West Bengal’s Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya had connected Tuesday (January 20, 2026) advised the protesters against marching to ‘Swasthya Bhawan’, citing instrumentality and bid concerns.
