Teachers protest outside Manpreet’s office

BATHINDA: Irked over the termination of five teachers’ union leaders, various teacher unions, along with members of farmer organisations, on Wednesday gheraoed Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s office and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the city.

Teachers and members of farmer unions cross barricades on the way to Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s office during a protest march.

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 16

Irked over the termination of five teachers’ union leaders, various teacher unions, along with members of farmer organisations, on Wednesday gheraoed Finance Minister Manpreet Badal’s office and burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the city.

The protesters gathered at Teachers Home in the evening from where they took out a protest march towards the Finance Minister’s office.

The protest was headed by SSA/RMSA leader Harjeet Singh Jeeda, who has been terminated and sanjha morcha convener Resham Singh.

The police had installed barricades on the road leading to Manpreet Badal’s office to stop the protest from reaching there, but the protesters removed or either jumped these and reached outside the office.

They gherao Manpreet Badal’s office and later burnt an effigy of Capt Amarinder Singh and raised slogans against the state government. They also declared the Capt government ‘anti-teachers’.

In the protest, members of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), BKU (Dakonda), Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Democratic Rights Sabha, Contract Employees Sangrash Committee and members of other unions were present in support of teachers.

While addressing the protesters, teacher union leaders Balwant Phulewal, Resham Singh, Davinder Singh and others lashed out at Capt Amarinder Singh and Education Minister OP Soni for their ‘anti-teacher’ decisions.

“The Education Department is trying to threaten the teachers by issuing termination letters. This is department’s new tactic of creating fear in the minds of teachers so that we stop protesting. But no such move of the government would stop us from fighting for our rights,” they added.

They said after working for more than 10-12 years in the Education Department, the services of teachers had not been regularised yet. However, if they demand what is due towards them, they are being terminated, they added.

Take out protest march

The protesters gathered at Teachers Home in the evening from where they took out a protest march towards the Finance Minister’s office.
The protest was headed by SSA/RMSA leader Harjeet Singh Jeeda, who has been terminated and Sanjha Morcha convener Resham Singh.