Dehradun school teachers do a Veeru

Two school teachers have threatened to commit suicide to put pressure on government to regularise the services of over one and half thousand teachers whose contracts have run out two years ago, reports HT Correspondent.

Veeru (Dharmendra) of Bollywood blockbuster Sholay continues to inspire protestors even after three and half decades of the film hitting the theatres.

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This time, an action replay of the reel-life drama of Veeru comes from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand. If Veeru threatened to commit suicide to force aged aunty of Basanti (Hema Malini) to force her to agree to his marriage with her niece, the two school teachers wanted the government to regularise the services of over one and half thousand teachers, whose contracts have run out two years ago.

The two teachers, Pooran Singh Rana and Pankaj Saini, perched atop the 60-feet high TV tower situated just 50 meteres from the Vidhan Sabha completed 36 hours of their protest till the time of writing this report on Tuesday.

The two teachers, office bearers of Siksha Achrya Association, climbed up the tower at 6 am on Monday and are threatening to end their lives unless the government regularised the appointment of 1,750 contractual teachers.

"We organised around 150 demonstrations but in vain. Thus we have taken such an extreme step. We would end our lives if the government will not fulfill our demand" said Gulab Singh Chauhan, Vice President of the Association.

District Education Officer Geeta Nautiyal has visited the spot to negotiate with the protestors. Administration has, in the meanwhile, deployed police near the tower, which had witnessed a similar protest by a woman Jhabra Rani in July this year.

The state government had appointed 1,750 teachers in 2001 on contractual basis under the Sarv Sikha Abhiyan and are now jobless since 2001 after their contracts ran out in 2007.