Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 2

Hundreds of primary teachers under the banner of the Haryana State Primary Teachers’ Association, who were marching towards Chandigarh to gherao Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s official residence over their demand for the implementation inter-district transfers, faced lathi-charge and water canons at the Panchkula-Chandigarh entry gate near the Housing Board light point today.

The action by Chandigarh Police left several teachers injured, association representatives said while adding they were given first aid on the spot.

A panel of teachers, which included association’s state president Tarun Suhag, was taken to the CM’s house by the police for a meeting to discuss their demands.

After an assurance from CM’s OSD Bhupeshwar Dayal that the government will soon come up with a resolution, the association has withdrawn its protest for two days with a fresh warning of an indefinite sit-in outside Education Minister’s house if their demands are not met.

Today was the second day of teachers’ protest. Yesterday, primary teachers had held a sit-in outside Shiksha Sadan in Sector 5.

Though teachers’ representatives had met State Education Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar and Director General of Elementary Education, the meeting remained non-conclusive.

As per protesting teachers, the Directorate of Elementary Education, Haryana, had on November 15 issued an order for the inter-district transfer of 2,544 primary teachers asking them to join their duties in respective districts by November 17.

“Teachers complied with the government’s order and moved to places where they were transferred. However, to our utter surprise, the government came up with a fresh order on November 27 nullifying its earlier transfer orders. Teachers were asked to join back at their previous places posting and stay there till the completion of the present academic session (till March 31, 2021),” said Jitender Kundu, state vice-president of the association.