Police caught unawares by teachers’ protest

With the Madurai police having a tough time on Thursday in handling simultaneous protests of Opposition parties in different venues, the least they expected was a group of teachers from a private school to join the protest.

The police were taken by surprise when more than 300 teaching and administrative staff of the C.E.O.A Matriculation Higher Secondary School, who came to Gandhi Museum Road in five school buses, began a demonstration.

Despite the police warning the protesting staff, which included more women than men, that they could be arrested and booked for staging a demonstration without permission, the sloganeering continued for more than 30 minutes.

Speaking to the media later, one of the staff, who preferred not to be named, said that they wanted to express solidarity with the farmers who were suffering due to the non-availability of water from Cauvery.