Bhubaneswar: Police on Thursday arrested 12 home guards for creating nuisance and scuffling with the cops during their agitation at Lower PMG Square.

The home guards have been on a cease work agitation since Monday to demand regularisation of jobs and increase in remuneration.

The arrested home guards include All Odisha Home Guards' Association secretary Niranjan Senapati. Sources said all of them were later sent to Jharapada jail after their bail pleas were rejected.

The police said the home guards were arrested under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 147, 323, 506 and 353.

Assistant commissioner of police Manas Ranjan Garanaik said the agitators deliberately obstructed others trying to demonstrate at the designated dharna place. "Despite our repeated requests to vacate the place, they did not listen and even scuffled with us," he said.

The home guards resorted to the cease work agitation to protest a home department order that increased their duty call-up allowance to Rs 300 per day from Rs 240. The state has over 17,000 home guards, who are paid on a daily basis. Their demands include reforms in the Orissa Home Guards Act, 1961, implementation of the Assembly standing committee report regarding appointment of home guards as Odisha Auxiliary Police/Fire Force and social security.

The protesters later split into two sections. While one section expressed happiness over the hike in allowance, the other continued to demonstrate. The police are also trying to nab association president Upendra Mohapatra. The association members were not available for comments.