Police retorted to lathicharge when the agitated members of Trained Unemployed Physical Teachers Association (TUPTA) clashed with them during their march to Chief Minister’s residence on Sunday.
The members of the association gathered at the agitation site on Sunday and as per their declared plan, marched towards the CM’s residence. Their intention was however foiled by a formidable police force near Kanak Chowk.
The police used mild force when the agitators persisted with their plan and tried to scale over the barricades. The police arrested 157 agitators and took them to the Suddhowala jail. At the time of writing this story, the police had not released the arrested members of the association. A police communique said that 157 protesters were arrested under section 151/ 107/116 of CRPC.
When contacted on phone, the media in-charge of TUPTA, Buddhi Singh Rana said that use of force by police was unwarranted. He claimed two dozen protesters including a woman suffered injuries due to the cane charge by the police. Rana said that thousands of the unemployed Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd) and Master of Physical Education (MPEd) qualified youths are now fed up with the unfulfilled promises of the State Government.
TUPA is undertaking a long drawn out agitation from last three and half years. Its members have employed all methods of protest like hunger strike, scaling overhead water tanks and writing letters with their blood but all these measures have failed to yield results.
The major demand of the association is that the State Government should create a post of Physical education teacher in all the Government schools of the State. The other demands of TUPTA are appointments in the upgraded schools under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and creation of post of lecturer physical education in the Government Inter Colleges (GIC) of State.