Computer teachers to intensify protest against govt by torching 2,100 brooms
Computer teachers in Punjab have launched a protest against the government’s unjust policies and unfulfilled promises. According to the teachers, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) made grand commitments before the Assembly elections and also after having formed the government, but three years later their promises remained unfulfilled.
Under the banner of the Computer Teachers Hunger Strike Struggle Committee, the teachers began a relay hunger strike on September 1, which escalated into a fast unto death, starting December 22. This intensified protest has forced AAP leaders to face severe criticism, said the protesters.
Protest on January 11
As part of the ongoing agitation, on January 11, the protesters plan to burn 2,100 brooms, the party’s election symbol, outside the residence of Aman Arora, the party’s state president and cabinet minister, as a symbolic ‘Lohri of False Promises.’ Earlier, on January 5, the teachers had surrounded the residence of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.
Teacher leaders Paramvir Singh Pammi, Pradeep Kumar Maluka, Lakhwinder Singh, Udham Singh Dogra, Gurbakhsh Lal, Baljit Singh, Rakesh Saini, and Rajwant Kaur stated that the government had become insensitive towards their plight. They alleged that on January 2, the police forcibly removed a fasting teacher, Jony Singla, and admitted him to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. Despite being hospitalised, Singla remains on his fast unto death. Meanwhile, Ranjit Singh continues his fast unto death outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Sangrur.
Teachers’ demands
The teachers clarified that their struggle would continue until their demands were met. They are prepared to risk their lives for their rights and have mobilised the entire teaching cadre for fasts unto death and protests. The teachers outlined their key demands: that computer teachers be absorbed into the Education Department without conditions and implementation of benefits from the Sixth Pay Commission, among others.
