In a bid to stop unemployed teachers from marching to the deputy commissioner’s (DC) office, the Bathinda police resorted to a mild lathicharge in Bathinda on Friday.
The unemployed ETT (Elementary teachers’ training)-TET (Teachers eligibility test) pass proteste had gathered at the Children’s Park and were planning to march to the DC office; however, the police officials locked up the gates of the park.
When the protesters tried to escape by jumping the gates, they were lathicharged.
A few of the protesters were also round up and taken in police bus. Some of the female protesters jumped from the bus windows, in a bid to escape.
State president of the ETT-TET pass unemployed teachers union, Joginder Singh Vareh, said the government is not serious about giving jobs to the unemployed youth of Punjab and it was making false statements about providing more than one lakh jobs.
Vareh said, “There are more than 14,000 vacant posts for ETT teachers in government schools but the government advertised about only 4,500 ETT posts. We are about 8,500 TET pass teachers. We are demanding an increase in the number of posts from 4,500 to 8,500, so that all the eligible candidates get jobs.”
The union’s general secretary Chinder Singh Ladhuka said, “The Punjab government has not recruited ETT teachers after the year 2010. Now the government is just trying to mollify the struggling teachers by announcing to fill up only 4,500 posts. We want to increase the number of posts from 4,500 to 8,500.”
{{/usCountry}}The union’s general secretary Chinder Singh Ladhuka said, “The Punjab government has not recruited ETT teachers after the year 2010. Now the government is just trying to mollify the struggling teachers by announcing to fill up only 4,500 posts. We want to increase the number of posts from 4,500 to 8,500.”
{{/usCountry}}The protesters placed a demanded for a meeting with Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and insisted to meet Bathinda deputy commissioner Basant Garg.
Talwando Sabo naib tehsildar Avtar Singh gave written assurance to fix a meeting of the protesters with the deputy commissioner on Monday.
The protesters who were rounded up protesters were later released.