Shahjahanpur (UP), Jan 21 (PTI) Sanitation workers of Jalalabad Nagar Palika here held a demonstration in the municipality premises, alleging that a civic body's inspector has been coercing them to donate Rs 100 each for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

A sanitary workers' leader, identified as Prem Prakash Valmiki, alleged in video footage on social media that a sanitary inspector has threatened them to mark absent from work if they do not donate for the temple.

When contacted, Valmiki reiterated the allegation saying that the employees cannot afford to donate because their salaries are very low.

When asked, Nagar Palika's Executive Officer Dayashankar Verma said all workers reporting to work have been marked present.

"It's up to the individual whether to donate. No donation has been sought at the government level," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)