The police resorted to mild baton charge to stop the protesting teachers of Sarv Siksha Abhyan, Rashtri Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyaan and CSS (central sponsored scheme) Teachers Union when they tried to move towards the Jalandhar bypass forcing their way through the police barricades here on Sunday.
The police action followed when the teachers, gathered in a large number, planned to protest at Jalandhar bypass after their talks with the SDM KS Mahi at the police barricade, about 200 meters from the bypass, failed.
After attending the rally at Dana Mandi in Ludhiana, the teachers started proceeding on foot to Jalandhar bypass. The police personnel deputed at the rally followed the protesting teachers. The police had already blocked the road with a tractor-trolley and barricades ahead of the bypass.
Women constables and cops in civil dress were also deployed. The cops resorted to mild baton charge when the protestors did not stop at the barricade.
However, the teachers did not budge even after the baton charge and sat there on dharna, raising slogans against the Punjab government and the police.
Eventually, another round of talk between the SDM and the president of the teachers union, Deedar Singh, yielded some success as Mahi announced that a meeting between the teachers delegation and chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has been fixed on Monday at 10am.
{{/usCountry}}Eventually, another round of talk between the SDM and the president of the teachers union, Deedar Singh, yielded some success as Mahi announced that a meeting between the teachers delegation and chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has been fixed on Monday at 10am.
{{/usCountry}}The teachers union made clear that if their demands were not met, they would show black flags to the CM and education minister on August 15.
Earlier in the day, a large number of teachers from various districts of the state had participated in the rally at Dana Mandi.
Addressing the rally, Deedar Singh, president of the union, said that they had been struggling for the last three years to get regularisation of teachers, regular pay scales and transfer of teachers near their homes.
He accused the government of giving fake assurances to the union.
He said that the government has not fulfilled its promise to issue notification regarding their pay scale. He said that the principal secretary Punjab had promised to issue it by August 1 this year.