Asst professors, librarians stage protest near minister’s residence in Anandpur Sahib

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Anandpur Sahib, August 13

A large number of 1158 Assistant Professors and Librarians Front Punjab (Government College) members staged a protest near the residence of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains here today.

They were demanding permission for their 483 members to join duty, besides arranging a meeting with CM Bhagwant Mann and the Education Minister.

The protesters ended their dharna only after they were invited for a meeting with the Education Minister at Chandigarh on August 17.

The front came in existence after the recruitment of 1,158 assistant professors and librarians was quashed by the court last year.

The protesters said the government was not pleading their case properly in the court. They claimed there was no legal hurdle in allowing their 483 colleagues to join duty, still the government had not taken any step in that regard.

In October 2021, the process to recruit 1,158 professors and librarian recruitment was started ahead of the Assembly elections. In December, 607 of them were handed over appointment letters.

While 124 of them joined their duties, the remaining 483 were not allowed to perform despite their joining at the headquarters as large number of petitions were filed against the recruitment drive.

On August 22 last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the recruitment and the state government filed a Letter Patent Appeal (LPA) in the court against the decision of the single Bench.

The protesters said their 483 colleagues had resigned from their previous jobs. They were employed at government schools, aided or private colleges before being given appointment letters by the state government as lecturers, they claimed. Now, they were left jobless, they said.