Clash between computer teachers, police near Bhagwant Mann’s Sangrur house
On Teacher’s Day today, a clash took place between computer teachers and the police when the former were making an effort to gherao the residence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on the Sangrur-Patiala highway here.
The police used water cannon on the protesters to disperse them but the computer teachers sat on the road and started dharna there. In the scuffle, some computer teachers and police personnel reportedly suffered mild injuries.
Earlier, under the banner of ‘Computer Adhyapak Union Punjab’, hundreds of computer teachers from all parts of the state held a rally outside district administrative complex (DC office) here to compel the state government to accept their demands.
The demands are shifting of computer teachers from Punjab Information and Communication Technology Education Society (PICTES) to the Education Department, implementation of Sixth Pay Commission and financial assistance/government jobs on compassionate ground to family members of about 100 deceased computer teachers.
Later, they took out a protest march through the bazaars of the city up to Maha Kali Devi Mandir here and from there, they headed towards the Chief Minister’s residence in buses and other vehicles.
Sangrur district president of the union, Nardeep Sharma, said that on September 15, 2022, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had announced that computer teachers would be given Sixth Pay Commission’s benefits, besides implementing all rules under CSR (Civil Service Rules), but to no avail so far. Sharma claimed that his 20 colleagues, including some women, sustained injuries.
Palwinder Singh Cheema, SP (D), Sangrur, said that the computer teachers manhandled members of the police force and physically assaulted them. He said the condition of a woman constable, Mandeep Kaur, is critical. A male constable also suffered a cut on his arm. The police used water cannon when the protesters started breaking the barricades, he added.
The SP said legal action would be taken against the persons involved in manhandling of police personnel.
