Mohali: A protest march by special cadre teachers demanding resolution of pending issues turned violent on Sunday when police resorted to the use of water cannons and a lathi-charge on the Chandigarh–Mohali border. At least five teachers, including 3 women, were injured in the police action. Union president Davinder Singh Sandhu also sustained a knee injury. The protest was organised under the banner of the Special Cadre Teachers Front (Punjab). Around 500 teachers gathered in the morning at Gurdwara Sri Amb Sahib, Mohali, and later began a peaceful march towards Chandigarh, seeking a meeting with chief minister Bhagwant Mann over their unresolved demands.
Police attempted to stop the march at multiple points in Mohali, but the teachers insisted on proceeding. When the protesters reached the Chandigarh border, heavy barricading was put in place by the police. As the teachers tried to move ahead, the police first used water cannons, leading to chaos at the site. Several teachers alleged that their turbans were dislodged due to the force of the water jets. As the situation escalated and the protesters refused to disperse, the police carried out a lathi-charge.In the ensuing action, five teachers were injured, including 3 women and union President Davinder Singh Sandhu. All injured protesters were taken to the civil hospital for first aid.Speaking to the media, Sandhu said the agitation was forced upon them as the govt was ignoring their demands for a long time. He stated that on July 28, 2023, as many as 12,710 temporary teachers were issued regular appointment letters, but even after nearly two years, they were not granted proper pay scales and service benefits.He added the protest began around 1pm, and after hours of tension, the Chandigarh administration assured a meeting with the chief minister on Monday around 4.30 pm. Mohali DSP Harsimran Singh Bal assured the teachers a meeting with the education minister would be arranged on Feb 11. Following these assurances, the teachers temporarily called off their protest.However, the union warned that if concrete decisions were not taken soon, the agitation would be intensified across Punjab.BOXKey demands Implementation of pay scale for 12,710 special cadre teachersImplementation of service rules and facilities such as TA, medical reimbursement and group insuranceImplementation of Old Pension Scheme, gratuity, promotion channel, mobile allowance and child care leaveEnhancement of retirement age from 58 to 65 years as per high court ordersP:ermanent appointment letters be issued to remaining contractual teachers at the earliest
