In a shocking incident, one of the protesting ETT-TET “unemployed” teachers on Sunday jumped in the Bhakra canal near Passiana, but was later rescued by the divers. The teacher decided to jump into the canal after the police lathicharged the protesting teachers leaving nearly dozen of them injured, comprising women, in Patiala district.
The teachers were protesting in the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s home district against the failure of the Congress-led Punjab Government to provide them jobs.
Following the incident, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders — Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema and Sunam MLA Aman Arora — reached the venue to meet the protesting teachers.
Nearly a dozen protesters were injured after being lathicharged by the police at the demonstration. Several women protesters, who were injured, claimed that the police “attacked” them without a provocation and they were pulled by the hair.
A few policemen were among those injured as they tried to disperse the protesters who wanted to surround the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s private residence, Moti Mahal.
The protesters, belonging to ETT-TET Unemployed Teachers’ Union, were protesting against the failure of the government to provide them government jobs in the Education Department. The protesters have cleared the Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) and qualified the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).
For several months, they have staged a sit-in protest outside the residence of Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla in Sangrur, demanding jobs.
Police asked the marching protesters to disperse but they insisted to go towards the Chief Minister’s residence. As a scuffle broke out between protesters and police personnel, the police had to use force to disperse them. Even as the police detained dozen teachers, the protest continued.
“We were protesting peacefully, but the police personnel attacked us with sticks without any provocation,” said a woman protester Raj Rani.
“The government is advocating promoting a girl child and empowering the women. Contrary to this, it used the force to silent our voices on the day when the world is honouring women on International Women’s Day,” she said with tears rolling down.
Patiala SP Varun Sharma, who lost his cool at the protest, was caught on camera lathicharging the teachers, including women.
Another protester Surjit Kaur said that the police, especially the male cops, were ruthless towards the women protesters. She claimed that the male cops lathicharged them and pulled them by the hair.
Former Education Minister and Shriomani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema said that the lathicharge is condemnable, and the “government must find solutions through talks and not by force. There should be action against those involved”.
Patiala’s former MP Dr Dharamvir Gandhi decried the police action. The agitators were heading towards the Chief Minister’s residence just to hand over their charter of demands when the police began the lathicharge, he said.