Election duty turns fatal for teacher couple, GTU blames Moga admn

Government Teachers Union Punjab State President Sukhwinder Singh Chahal, General Secretary Gurbinder Singh Saskaur, Finance Secretary Manohar Lal Sharma and Press Secretary Karnail Phillaur issued a press statement stating that there was a wave of grief among the entire teaching community due to the death of teacher couple Jaskaran Singh Bhullar and his wife on their way to perform election duty in Moga.

Government Teachers Union Punjab expressed deep sorrow over the tragic demise due to accident of the teacher duo and considers the accident to be the negligence of the district administration Moga.

Members of the union said, it is noteworthy that various teachers' organisations of Punjab including GTU, Punjab, had repeatedly requested the Chief Election Commission and the district administration that due to thick ongoing fog, teachers, especially ladies, should be posted on duty in their blocks only. They said, but the administration, knowing this, deputed teachers on duty in distant blocks to bother them even though no arrangements were made for the lady teachers to stay at booths. They said due to this, teachers were forced to return to their homes.

Union members said Jaskaran Singh (deceased teacher) was going to leave his wife Kamaljit Kaur on election duty in the morning, due to which the incident happened.

GTU Punjab demanded that the teacher couple should be cremated with government honours, an assistance of Rs 1 crore each should be given to the family. Also, the education of their wards—their young children should be made completely free and their jobs should be reserved so that they can get these jobs, when the time comes.