In order to avoid clash, the Commissionerate police on Monday took an advance step and dispersed the agitating Block Grant secondary school teachers as they took out a rally towards the Assembly near Master Canteen square here. Nearly, 150 protesting teachers were arrested.
As per their earlier announcement, thousands of agitating Block Grant teachers, who earlier rejected the State Government’s announcement of new grant-in-aid (GIA) policy to be effective from April 2013, gathered near the Master Canteen Square under the banner of the Block Grant Secondary Teachers’ and Employees’ Association to oppose the GIA policy in the present mode and press for usual GIA.
However, the police handled the situation tactfully so as to avoid the November 19, 2012 bloody clash with the striking teachers when many teachers sustained serious injuries while taking on the security forces. This time, the police personnel stopped the rally near the Congress Bhawan and did not allow it to move further towards the Assembly. “We were demonstrating peacefully and democratically. We had no intention to take law into our hands. But the police prevented us to stage the demonstration in front of the Assembly, which is regrettable,” said a few protesting teachers.
Sources said the police illegally detained association president Prasanta Kumar Mohapatra and general secretary Prasanta Kumar Pati on Sunday evening to suppress the agitating teachers’ voice. "We don't trust the Government as it has not kept its earlier promise on December 7, 2012 in the Assembly. The recent announcement of new GIA policy from April, 2013 by School and Mass Education Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda misleads public and is designed to foil the teachers' agitation," they alleged.
Similarly, hundreds of Ganashikshaks under the banner of State Ganasikshyak Mahasangh on Monday organised a rally demanding job regularisation.
“We have been working as Ganashikshaks for last 15 years. But the Government is yet to take any initiatives to regularise us despite several appeals and demonstrations. So our association has decided to resort to an indefinite strike in front of the Assembly till the fulfillment of our demands,” said Mahasangh president Umakanta Nayak.