Assistant professors, librarians clash with cops in Sangrur

More than 100 members of the 1158 Assistant Professors and Librarians Front, Punjab, clashed with cops twice as they were stopped from heading towards CM Bhagwant Mann’s residence on the Patiala road here today.

The protesters were demanding that appointment letters should be issued to 344 assistant professors (142 of Punjabi, 154 of English, 30 of Hindi, 15 of geography and three of education) and 67 librarians, who were waiting for the same for the past two months.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had upheld the recruitment process of 1,091 assistant professors and 67 librarians on September 23 this year. Over 600 assistant professors had already joined their duties in government colleges.

The protesters also urged the state government to complete the recruitment process of 1,158 assistant professors and librarians by issuing appointment letters to the remaining selected 344 assistant professors and 67 librarians.

Aziz Deepak, media coordinator of the front, said they lifted their dharna around 5 pm as the district administration had arranged their panel meeting with the Education Minister and the Education Secretary on November 25. In case the appointment issue was not resolved at the meeting tomorrow, they would intensify their agitation, he added.

A leader of the front said 122 professors had joined colleges in 2021 and 483 in the last week of September this year.