Mohali: Protesting teachers climb water tank, threaten to end life for unfulfilled demands

Teachers who passed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) climbed on a water tank in Kharar on Friday just 24 hours after the Mohali district administration issued an injunction prohibiting protesters from climbing atop water tanks, and mobile towers and rooftops of government buildings. The protesters were armed with gasoline-filled bottles and threatened to commit suicide if their demands were not met. As soon as the cops received the information, they arrived at the location and urged the protestors to climb down.

Teachers demand the release of arrested colleagues

The Mohali administration and police were astonished when teachers used this manner of protest to demand that tests be conducted for primary teacher recruitment. The educators also alleged that some of their colleagues had been detained by the police and demanded that they be released immediately. After district officials promised them a meeting with the education secretary, the protesting teachers called it a day later in the evening. Seven members of the Coordination Committee of 8,393 teachers ascended to the top of the water tank around 2 am on August 13 and threatened to commit suicide one by one if their demands were not met by August 15.

The education department posted 8,393 openings for pre-primary teachers, with an exam due for June 27 that was cancelled. Sukhchain Singh Mansa, the coordinator of the Punjab Coordination Committee, stated that the teachers are requesting that the exam be held and that recruiting should begin. The protests, according to Poonam Rani, president of the protesting teachers, passed TET, which has a seven-year qualifying term. She went on to claim that since passing the exam, they have been demanding 15,000 employment openings from the state, but the government has not answered to their requests.

The district administration allowed peaceful protests

Meanwhile, the district administration has issued orders allowing peaceful protests in some spots throughout the district. According to District Magistrate Girish Daylan, protests are likely to take place in Dasehra Ground, Phase 8, Mohali, Panchayati land at Chappar Chiri Kalan, Football Ground, Darpan City, Kharar, Mubarakpur Road, and Dera Bassi. Daylan also asked demonstrators to observe other guidelines and maintain COVID-appropriate behaviour. He stated that violators will be prosecuted under the Disaster Management Act of 2005 and the Indian Penal Code's related sections.

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