Jalandhar, January 9
Government school teachers from all over Punjab held a massive demonstration here on Wednesday in protest against the recent suspension of nine teachers. Around 6,000 members of 18 teacher unions got together under the banner of the Save Government Education Morcha at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall and voiced their grievances against the decision of the government to suspend nine teachers.

“If the government has to take action then they should suspend all teachers boycotting the winter training session and not just nine of them,” said union presidents one after the other.

The teachers then moved out near the bus stand on the GT Road and blocked the traffic there. The movement of vehicles across the area remained suspended for more than 45 minutes.

The teachers also demanded that the privatisation of schools should be withdrawn and computer teachers regularised. They urged the government to take back control of the schools which were now under zila parishads and panchayats.

Jalandhar, January 9
International Human Rights Organisation (IHRO) has condemned the allegedly blasphemous write-up of a Chandigarh based newspaper which has been ostracised from the Sikh Panth on the occasion of the parkash utsav of Guru Gobind Singh. Gill called on Prof Singh to clarify his stand on media reports violating an edict from the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.

In a statement here today, D. S. Gill, chairperson of the outfit, said in one of its issues, the newspaper has alleged that Prof Darshan Singh, a former Akal Takht jathedar, has allegedly condemned and ridiculed Bachittar Natak, an autobiography of the tenth Sikh Guru, saying that the work or the Dasam Granth has a philosophy and ideology contradictory to Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Gill alleged that the paper went on to put words in the mouth of Singh that as per Bachittar Natak “all Sikh gurus from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Gobind Singh are not from the same jyot.”

“Guru Gobind Singh has very categorically stated in his biography that, Guru Nanak was accepted as Angad and (Guru) Angad was identified as (Guru) Amar Das. Guru Amar Das was called (Guru) Ram Das and this mystery was understood by the saints but the stupid ones could not follow it.

Ordinary persons considered them in separate forms but some rare ones understood them as one,” Gill said. “Those who knew them as one attained (all) the high spiritual stages but without understanding (the mysteries) nothing can be attained,” he added.

Prof Singh was also the jathedar of the takht and has sung devotional compositions from the Dasam Granth. He also has articles written on the Dasam Granth to his credit. “How could he ignore all his previous kirtans and writings,” questions Gill.

“The Dasam Granth is installed at Takht Patna Sahib and Takht Sachkhand Hazur Sahib and the former jathedar has performed kirtan from the Granth on numerous occasions at both the Takht’s,” Gill added.

It was because of machinations of anti-Sikh forces that the Akal Takht had to issue a hukumnama against such “mischievous elements”. 

Nawanshahr, January 9
A massive and brisk anti-encroachment drive, led by SDM Arshdeep Singh, was launched in the inner markets of the town here on Wednesday. The SDM, accompanied by municipal council staff, visited the inner markets - Kothi Road, Geeta Bhawan Road, Railway Road, etc. to remove the encroachments by the shopkeepers.

The drive was started in the afternoon and the signboards, benches and other materials put up by shopkeepers outside their shops were removed and taken away. Illegal sheds and other encroachments were also removed.

However, the anti-encroachment drive was marked with protests and unruly scenes at some places. The shopkeepers raised slogans against the administration and at some places even took back their signboards and other material from the trolleys. The Beaopar Mandal and other shopkeepers’ associations gave a bandh call on Thursday and also took out a protest march in the main bazaars of the town to mobilise shopkeepers to make the bandh call successful.

They also decided to hold a dharna at Chandigarh Chowk tomorrow in protest against the alleged harassment of the shopkeepers by the administration. The SDM, while talking to The Tribune, denied the allegations of harassing the shopkeepers. The notices to remove the encroachments were issued to shopkeepers about a month ago. Even deputy commissioner Gurpal Singh Bhatti, along with officials of the different departments, visited the various bazaars to mobilise them for amicable removal of encroachments in public interest. A deadline for removing encroachments by January 3 was given. Encroachments were also removed on Wednesday by taking the representatives of the shopkeepers’ association into confidence.