BMC Chowk gets blocked as ETT teachers march towards minister’s house in Jalandhar

Educators from the ETT, Masters and Lecturer cadres on Saturday staged a massive statewide protest at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall on Saturday, sharply escalating their agitation against what they described as “anti-teacher” policies of the state government. The teachers had a face-off with the police when they announced their march towards the house of Punjab minister Mohinder Bhagat in Urban Estate.

A heavy posse of the police was deployed outside the venue. The police buses were parked right across the road which did not just stop the movement of protesting teachers, but also the general traffic at the busy intersection of BMC Chowk and Namdev Chowk. The road remained blocked in the afternoon for more than one hour and fifty minutes.

The demonstration organised under the banner of the Sikhya Vibhag Sangharsh Committee Punjab (Education Department Struggle Committee) witnessed participation of the Elementary Teachers Union, Master Cadres Union, Lecturer Cadres Union and Ministerial Staff Association.

At the centre of the protest was a strong opposition to the imposition of the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) condition on in service teachers. Protesters termed it unjust, humiliating and harm to dignity of the competence of experienced educators. They said the move undermines decades of service, calling it an “insult to service record and merit earned over years”, and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

Alongside this, the unions raised a sharp list of demands including immediate implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission, release of the long pending 16 per cent dearness allowance, restoration of rural, border and disability allowances and correction of anomalies in the Sixth Pay Commission. They also demanded early rollout of the Seventh Pay Commission and regularisation of contractual employees with full service benefits.

Teachers further highlighted what they called a deepening crisis in the education system due to prolonged administrative neglect. They pointed to stalled promotions, non-payment of allowances and increasing non-teaching assignments being imposed on staff including election duties and extensive online administrative work. According to them, these responsibilities were pulling educators away from classrooms and weakening the quality of school education.

Raising slogans and holding placards, the protesters accused the government of pushing policies that were not only financially unjust, but also systematically eroding the dignity, morale and professional autonomy of teachers across the state.

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Educators stage sit-ins at BMC Chowk

The situation escalated after the protest, when participants attempted to march towards the residence of Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat. The police intervention at BMC Chowk led to a tense face off, following which the protesters staged a sit-in, blocking the busy intersection from around 2.30 pm to nearly 4 pm, severely disrupting traffic movement in the area.

Harbans Lal, district head of the Master Cadres Teachers Union said, “The march was stopped after the police cited traffic disruption concerns, forcing the protesters to hold their sit-in on the spot.” He added that union leaders were subsequently informed of a meeting with Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains scheduled for March 30 at 11.30 am in Chandigarh, prompting protesters to finally call off their demonstration.