Protesting school teachers were injured here on Sunday when the police resorted to lathi charge to disperse them, after they defied prohibitory orders and broke the security cordon. The incident occurred at the Dispur capital complex. Nine teachers were admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
The protest by teachers of the non-provincialised schools of Assam, under the banner of the Asom Sikshak Karamchari Aikya Manch, was to press the demand for provincialisation of their schools and payment of salaries.
After assembling at the Last Gate for a sit-in, some of them decided to perform Eid prayer. The police asked them not to do so. The teachers, however, went ahead. After the prayer they marched towards the State Secretariat and tried to force their way through the cordon.
As bursting of tear gas and firing in the air failed to disperse them, police and CRPF jawans resorted to lathi charge.
Opposition parties, student and youth bodies, including the All Assam Students Union, the Students Federation of India, and the Democratic Youth Federation of India condemned the “unprovoked police brutalities” on the teachers and called for state-wide protests.
The police also detained many teachers at Jalukbari and Basistha to prevent them from reaching the sit-in site.
