Protesting teachers try to enter Chandigarh, face khaki wrath

Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 25

Hundreds of computer teachers, who have been protesting for long in Mohali, faced water cannons and lathi charge on the Chandigarh-Mohali border here today.

The protesting teachers were trying to cross over to Chandigarh to gherao the residence of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. They crossed the YPS roundabout to enter the UT, but were stopped by the Chandigarh Police. The police resorted to mild lathicharge and used water cannons to stop the protesting teachers from entering the UT.

The protesters sat in the middle of the road. Some teachers fainted as they could not face the water pressure.

Gurvinder Singh, president, Computer Teachers’ Union, Punjab, said they were struggling for a long time for merging their posts with the Education Department. He said instead of fulfilling their demands, the state government and the bureaucracy were exploiting the computer teachers. He claimed that the Punjab Civil Service Rules mentioned in the appointment letters of computer teachers were not being applied to them. In addition, teachers were deprived of various facilities such as interim relief, medical leave and GPF.

He said about 70 computers teachers had died and their families continue to face hardship as the dependents of the deceased employees had not been provided jobs on compassionate grounds. The teachers’ leader said the government had been holding meetings with the teachers but did not fulfil their demands.

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