Sopore, June 24 (JKNS): ATM guards of J&K Bank held a strong protest in Sopore, urging authorities to reconsider a notice that threatens to remove them from service across approximately 600 ATM branches.
The guards said this decision has put their future and livelihood at stake, despite years of dedicated service.
The protesters, carrying placards and raising slogans, expressed anger and frustration over the notice. Speaking to media persons, as per news agency JKNS, one of the guards said, “We have been serving J&K Bank for the last 15–20 years. We stood by the bank and served diligently even during turbulent times the 2014 and 2016 unrest, the 2019 crisis, and the pandemic years of 2020. Today, after years of loyalty, we are being asked to leave.”
Another guard added, “We have worked on the frontline to protect bank properties and customers. Some of our colleagues have been injured and killed in attacks while serving the bank. Despite these sacrifices, our service is now being ignored and our jobs are being taken away.”
The protesters said that many ATM guards have taken loans for their families and are worried about how to repay them if thrown out of work. “If we lose our jobs, how will we support our families or repay our loans? We have dedicated the best years of our lives to this service. We deserve justice,” one of the guards stated.
The protestors have set a deadline of June 28 for the authorities, including Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the J&K Bank Chairman, and the Omar Abdullah Government, to review and resolve the issue. They warned that if their demands were not met by the deadline, they would launch a mass agitation across the region.
“We are hopeful that the authorities will understand our plight and secure our future. But if ignored, we will have no option but to intensify our protest. We appeal to the administration to save our livelihood and honor the service we have rendered over the years,” a senior guard said, concluding the protest. (JKNS)
