Punjab: Teacher's Union protesting over lack of jobs allegedly lathi-charged by police

In Punjab, around half a dozen protesters were allegedly injured in Patiala district after they were lathi-charged by the police for protesting against the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress government for the dearth of jobs. Protestors. who mainly comprised of women who were injured, claimed that they were allegedly "attacked" by the police personnel without provocation. The protestors were allegedly moving towards Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's private residence.

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The women which mainly belong to ETT-TET Unemployed Teachers' Union, were protesting against the failure of the government to provide them government jobs in the Education Department.

Amarinder Singh's claim of '11 lakh jobs' 

Their protests come amidst tall claims by the Punjab Government of tackling unemployment in the state by providing '11 lakh jobs'. Last month, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had released data that supported his claim of providing "11 lakh jobs" to the youth of Punjab. 

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"As per the official data available, the number of government jobs generated from April 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019, was 57,905, with 3,96,775 under the private placement and another 7,61,289 facilitated by his government in the self-employment category," said the Punjab CM.

The protesters, however, paint a different picture. The women who have cleared the Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) and qualified the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) have been on a sit-in protest for several months outside the residence of Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla in Sangrur town, demanding jobs.

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It is stated that the Police had asked the marching protesters to disperse but they insisted on going towards the Chief Minister's residence. While dispersing the protestors, clashes broke out as the police used force to disperse them.

The Congress CM has often made tall claims about tackling unemployment in the state. Amarinder Singh, while addressing a rally for a Congress party member during the New Delhi Assembly elections had stated that his Congress government, unlike the AAP or the BJP, had tackled unemployment by providing jobs to 11 lakh youth of Punjab. 

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(with inputs from agencies)