published by, sheen kachru
Last Update: April 18, 2023, 6:08 PM IST
Clash between West Bengal teachers and police personnel (Representational image)
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Bhattacharya termed the police crackdown on teachers as the “anti-people and anti-teacher face of the TMC government”.
Members of two CPI(M)-backed teachers unions clashed with the police in the northern West Bengal city of Siliguri on Monday.
Hundreds of members of the All Bengal Teachers’ Association (ABTA) and All Bengal Primary Teachers’ Association (ABPTA) were marching from Jalpai Mor to the state government’s North Bengal secretariat ‘Uttar Kanya’ to press for their demands. Stopped at Teenbatti Mod area.
As they tried to break the police barricades, a clash broke out.
A police officer said the protesters were trying to move outside the police cordon to the area where prohibitory orders were in force.
He said they had to use mild force along with water cannons to disperse them.
Later, a five-member delegation of teachers went to the secretariat to submit a memorandum of their demands to the state government.
The demands include increase in dearness allowance, non-implementation of NEP 2020, recruitment of eligible teaching job willing candidates and arrest of all accused of school job scam.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Bhattacharya, who led the march, alleged, “The police crackdown on teachers has exposed the anti-people and anti-teacher face of the TMC government. Today’s incident proves that this government is being run by illiterate people. Police said several protesters were detained and later released.
The CPI(M) claimed that several teachers were injured in the police action, but the police said it had no information about any agitator being seriously injured.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)