Mumbai: The Pune police carried out a lathi charge on marching deaf and mute agitators protesting the transfer of disability welfare commissioner Balaji Manjule in front of the commissionerate on Monday.

Hundreds of disabled persons had gathered at the commissionerate when the Pune police resorted to the lathi charge. Meanwhile, the Pune police refuted allegations of having carried out a lathi charge. The police has been receiving flak from political leaders and social activists for its action.

Manoj Patwari of the Rajyastariya Karnabad-hir Association (RKA), said, “The state recruits regular teachers who don’t know sign language and hence, lakhs of deaf and mute students do not  get any proper education. Des-pite having meetings with ministers to discuss our issues, nobody pays attention to our dem-ands. And now when we are gathered here for the sole purpose of our demands, the police has resorted to lathi charge on the disabled people.”

Pradip More, secretary of the association, said, “The state has transferred commissioners three times in one year.”