A large number of guest lecturers participating in the protest rally here on Monday were stopped near Anand Rao Circle and taken into preventive custody by the High Grounds police. Later they were released, and the protesters continued their indefinite agitation at Bannappa Park.
Stopped midwayThe protesters began their rally at the Bangalore City Railway Station and were scheduled to walk up to house of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and a stage a dharna there. But midway they were stopped and were taken to CAR Grounds in Adugodi. The rally was organised by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Karnataka State First Grade Colleges Guest Lecturers’ Association.
As many as 10,600 guest lecturers working in degree colleges across the State are seeking fixation of monthly salary at Rs. 25,000 and are demanding that their services be continued the next academic year also.
Mallikarjun Manpade, State general secretary of the association, said: “We demand that our services be continued the next academic year. Most of us are paid a monthly salary ranging from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 and that is also paid in lumpsum once a year. We urge the government to fix our monthly salary at Rs. 25,000 a month and pay us on time. We want the government to follow the model followed by the governments in Tripura, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where guest lecturers are paid Rs. 25,000 a month.”
According to the police, one of the protesters attempted suicide when the rally was being taken out, and that he was shifted to hospital.
