Protesting Teachers Sit-in as Govt. Refuses to Budge
Guest teachers agitation for regularisation finds Congress Support
Bhopal
Traffic was affected at several places in the state capital on Wednesday as guest teachers took to the streets to press for their demands.
Police barricaded the protest site to stop the teachers from advancing. The protesters, however, dug in their heels and sat down on a dharna.
The sit-in continued till late in the evening as protest leaders continued to demand regularization for guest teachers in the state.
The sit-in eventually culminated in a rally as protest leaders led a march to the Congress state headquarters on the Link Road.
Congress leaders lent support to the agitation and said that the government should adopt an accommodating stance towards them.
Speaking to the media, a protest leader mocked the state government and reiterated that the protests would continue until their demands are met.
Several teachers, including women, were injured when the police tried to bring the protest to a forcible end.
Guest Teachers’ Union President KC Pawar said that protesters would not leave without securing regularization for their positions.
The agitating teachers gained sympathy from the Opposition Congress, with party leaders issuing statements of solidarity with the protesters.
Congress State Unit chief Jitu Patwari expressed support while former chief minister Kamal Nath said that these demands were promises made by the previous BJP government.