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Tripura: Teachers clash with police; 90 left injured
Sec 144 continues to be imposed in west district as terminated teachers clashed with the police outside chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s residence
Authorities extended imposition of Criminal Procedure Code’s Section 144 to bar the assembly of over four people to Tripura’s West district on Wednesday after around 90 people were injured in a clash between terminated schoolteachers and police in front of chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s residence.
Over 8,000 teachers have been protesting against their termination for almost two months. “All have been discharged after preliminary treatment. We have issued the prohibitory order for 24 hours from today [Wednesday] morning...[as] they might create chaos..., “ said district magistrate Shailendra Kumar Yadav.
Police have booked Bijoy Krishna Saha, a sacked teacher, for an alleged provocative speech.
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The clash was triggered after police forced the teachers to vacate their protest site, detained 165 of them, and prompted the rest to gather in front of Deb’s residence. Police tried to disperse the protesters using water cannon, tear gas before resorting to lathi charge.
“This is an act of barbarism... we condemn it. ...41 teachers have been injured. Many teachers including women suffocated due to tear gas and...still the police beat them, “ said Dalia Das, a leader of the teachers.
A faulty recruitment process prompted the state government to terminate 10,323 teachers following a 2014 high court order. The Supreme Court upheld the order three years later. Over 8,000 teachers of them were reappointed on an ad hoc basis. Their tenure expired on March 31. Deb in September assured them of help within two months. The teachers began a sit-in on December 7.
