Bathinda, February 2
The police and the district administration came under a scathing attack for using water cannons and caning the teachers and members of the Adarsh Schools Teaching & Non-Teaching Union and Sikhya Providers Union who had assembled at the grain market and were planning to take out a protest rally in the city this afternoon.
After the talks between the senior police officials and leaders of the protesting teachers' unions failed, the teachers got ready to take out the rally and were intercepted by a huge posse of policemen who tried to get hold of them and packed them into police vans. The police also used water cannon to disperse the protestors.
Resham Singh, state president of the Democratic Teachers' Front, said, "We deride the police for being ruthless with the teachers who are asking for the timely release of their salaries, reinstatement of their jobs and compensation according to their pay grade. Instead of listening to their problems and arriving at a conclusion, the state government is using force against these teachers."
District president of the 7654 Teachers Union, Shapinder Singh Brar, also condemned the police action. "This is a clear violation of the democratic rights of the citizens of this country. The Constitution of India gives all the citizens the right to express but the Bathinda police and the district administration are taking away these rights of the people. I met the protestors who managed to escape from the protest site and promised them full support from our union."
Devinder Singh, state president of the B.Ed Teachers' Front, Punjab, derided the state government and the police for having dual standards. "If a political leader stages protest or takes out a rally, the police give them protection. But if the same is done by the teachers and the other employees of the government, water cannons and canes are used against them," he said.
The issue also took on a political hue after the Congress party accused the state government of using force against the teachers. General secretary of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and former Bathinda MLA, Harmandar Singh Jassi, said, "The SAD-BJP government should make it clear as to what it wants. While on the one hand, it says that it wants to make the state an education hub, on the other, it is lathicharging teachers after taking away their jobs."
Extending their support to the teachers sitting on a dharna below the water tank at Gol Diggi and those sitting atop it, workers of the district Congress committee arranged for food for the protesting teachers.
factfile
Resham Singh, state president of the Democratic Teachers' Front, said, "We deride the police for being ruthless with the teachers who are asking for the timely release of their salaries, reinstatement of their jobs and compensation according to their pay grade. Instead of listening to their problems and arriving at a conclusion, the state government is using force against these teachers."
District president of the 7654 Teachers Union, Shapinder Singh Brar, also condemned the police action. "This is a clear violation of the democratic rights of the citizens of this country. The Constitution of India gives all the citizens the right to express but the Bathinda police and the district administration are taking away these rights of the people. I met the protestors who managed to escape from the protest site and promised them full support of our union."
Devinder Singh, state president of the B.Ed Teachers' Front, Punjab, derided the state government and the police for having dual standards. "If a political leader stages protest or takes out a rally, the police give them protection. But if the same is done by the teachers and the other employees of the government, water cannons and canes are used against them," he said.
The police and the district administration came under a scathing attack for using water cannons and caning the teachers and members of the Adarsh Schools Teaching & Non-Teaching Union and Sikhya Providers Union who had assembled at the grain market and were planning to take out a protest rally in the city this afternoon.
After the talks between the senior police officials and leaders of the protesting teachers' unions failed, the teachers got ready to take out the rally and were intercepted by a huge posse of policemen who tried to get hold of them and packed them into police vans. The police also used water cannon to disperse the protestors.
Resham Singh, state president of the Democratic Teachers' Front, said, "We deride the police for being ruthless with the teachers who are asking for the timely release of their salaries, reinstatement of their jobs and compensation according to their pay grade. Instead of listening to their problems and arriving at a conclusion, the state government is using force against these teachers."
District president of the 7654 Teachers Union, Shapinder Singh Brar, also condemned the police action. "This is a clear violation of the democratic rights of the citizens of this country. The Constitution of India gives all the citizens the right to express but the Bathinda police and the district administration are taking away these rights of the people. I met the protestors who managed to escape from the protest site and promised them full support from our union."
Devinder Singh, state president of the B.Ed Teachers' Front, Punjab, derided the state government and the police for having dual standards. "If a political leader stages protest or takes out a rally, the police give them protection. But if the same is done by the teachers and the other employees of the government, water cannons and canes are used against them," he said.
The issue also took on a political hue after the Congress party accused the state government of using force against the teachers. General secretary of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and former Bathinda MLA, Harmandar Singh Jassi, said, "The SAD-BJP government should make it clear as to what it wants. While on the one hand, it says that it wants to make the state an education hub, on the other, it is lathicharging teachers after taking away their jobs."
Extending their support to the teachers sitting on a dharna below the water tank at Gol Diggi and those sitting atop it, workers of the district Congress committee arranged for food for the protesting teachers.
factfile
Resham Singh, state president of the Democratic Teachers' Front, said, "We deride the police for being ruthless with the teachers who are asking for the timely release of their salaries, reinstatement of their jobs and compensation according to their pay grade. Instead of listening to their problems and arriving at a conclusion, the state government is using force against these teachers."
District president of the 7654 Teachers Union, Shapinder Singh Brar, also condemned the police action. "This is a clear violation of the democratic rights of the citizens of this country. The Constitution of India gives all the citizens the right to express but the Bathinda police and the district administration are taking away these rights of the people. I met the protestors who managed to escape from the protest site and promised them full support of our union."
Devinder Singh, state president of the B.Ed Teachers' Front, Punjab, derided the state government and the police for having dual standards. "If a political leader stages protest or takes out a rally, the police give them protection. But if the same is done by the teachers and the other employees of the government, water cannons and canes are used against them," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment