Jalandhar, January 22
Leaders of various teachers’ unions held a joint meeting at the Desh Bhagat Yaadgaar Hall here today to express their solidarity with Mr Om Parkash, the teacher from Government Elementary School, Noorpur Chatha, who has been on fast unto death.
The union leaders demanded that four independent inquiries conducted to verify the allegations levelled by Mr Om Parkash be made public.
The leaders of the Government Teachers’ Union, the Democratic Teachers’ Front, the Government School Lecturers’ Union and the SC BC Union, Punjab, said they would try to visit the school in Billi Choharmi village, where the teacher had been working earlier, to look into the matter.
Even as smaller political parties had earlier demanded the withdrawal of police case registered against Mr Om Parkash, the Shiromani Akali Dal, too, joined the campaign in his favour yesterday.
The SAD Chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, held a press conference yesterday demanding a probe into the allegations being levelled by the teacher. “The teacher has dared to level allegations against the erring officers of the Education Department in the Nakodar block. However, the government must take this as an indication to hold a probe throughout the state,” said the SAD Chief.
Mr Badal called up the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ashok Gupta, as he addressed the press conference and ‘told’ him to personally intervene in the matter and ensure justice to the teacher.
He said an inquiry must be marked into the alleged corrupt practices prevailing in the school education system, especially mid-day meal and scholarships for students, as pointed out by the teacher.
Earlier yesterday, the teachers’ unions and the leaders of SAD and the BJP prevented the district police from shifting Mr Om Parkash, who has been booked under Section 309, from Jalandhar jail to Amritsar jail.
High drama had prevailed yesterday in the Civil Hospital, where the teacher was recuperating. Mr Amarjit Singh Amri and Mr Charanjit Singh Channi, leaders from SAD, and Mr Vijay Sampla, state secretary of the BJP, had reached the Civil Hospital and protested against any move to shift the teacher out of the district. Mr S.P. Kalia, SP City I, had also reached the spot and it was finally decided not to shift the teacher.
