A school teacher died in Chennai on Saturday after he, along with several other members of the Joint Action Council of Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-GEO), attempted to take out a rally towards the Secretariat premises pressing for their charter of demands.
The victim has been identified as Thiyagarajan. He was differently-abled and was working in the Government School in Papanasam, Thanjavaur.
Several hundreds of government employees descended in Chennai from morning. People from other districts were taken into custody at the Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations upon their arrival.
In spite of deployment of police personnel to prevent any untoward incident, more than 1,000 people gathered on the Walajah Road and attempted to take out a rally towards the Secretariat. As the agitators were prevented from marching ahead, they squatted on the road reiterating their demands. Police had to forcibly evict them and many of them were detained at nearby schools and places.
The members are demanding the withdrawal of the New Pension Scheme, extending one month salary as bonus, disbursing Pay Commission arrears for 21 months, regularising those working on temporary basis, fixing minimum pay as Rs.18,000, making Municipality and Town Panchayat employees as government employees, shelving the plan to establish Personnel Reforms Committee and implementing the Pay Commission recommendations for college teachers.
