3 injured in police action against protesting jobless PTI teachers

The police action came after the protesting PTI teachers jumped barricades installed outside the entrance of the private colony where the CM’s residence is located

: Three unemployed PTI teachers, including a woman, were injured as police tried to stop them from marching towards chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence during a protest here on Sunday.

3 injured in police action against protesting jobless PTI teachers

The police action came after the protesters jumped barricades installed outside the entrance of the private colony where the CM’s residence is located. Police had to use force to send the protesters to the other side of the barricades. An ambulance was called at the protest site to shift the injured teachers to the civil hospital.

“The cops manhandled and cane-charged us. Three union members fell unconscious during this and they were rushed to the hospital,” Rajpal, 34, from Jalalabad, who is also a state committee member of the PTI teachers’ union, said.

“A female protester fell unconscious after a cop hit her head. We were not expecting this from CM Bhagwant Mann’s government,” he added.

However, the Sangrur police refuted the allegations.

Sangrur SP (D), Palwinder Singh Cheema said, “police did not cane-charge anyone. We had briefed cops before the protest to control the law-and-order situation without using any force, even if the protesters do.”

The protesters were demanding the government to release the merit list of 646 physical education teachers (PTI).

According to them, the then state government had started the recruitment of PTI teachers in 2011. However, the issue went to the Punjab and Haryana high court in the same year. In November 2021, the court had directed the state government to complete the recruitment process.