Srinagar, Aug 22 (KNS): Scores of Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers were injured and dozens injured in police action on Wednesday at City center Srinagar as the authorities foiled the protest demonstration of teachers demanding 7th Pay Commission benefits and delinking of salaries from center MHRD to state head.
Thousands of teachers from different districts of the state had marched towards the capital city on the call of Jammu and Kashmir Rehbar e Taleem Teachers Forum (JKReTTF) and law enforcement agencies foiled their attempt to assemble at Pratap Park Srinagar to offer Eid prayers as a mark of protest against denying of 7th PC benefits.
In a statement issued to KNS, Spokesperson of JKReTTF said that police used indiscriminate force to scuttle the protest programme. He claimed nearly two thousand teachers including JKReTTF Chairman Farooq Ahmad Tantray were huddled in police vehicles and taken to various police stations of the city.
The spokesperson also said that police fired indiscriminate tear smok shells and sprayed pepper gas on teachers offering Eid Prayers in front of Directorate of School Education Kashmir. This led to commotion and dozens of teachers fell unconscious on the streets. Many teachers were also injured in police lathicharge at Ghanta Ghar and near Press Enclave.
The JKReTTF Chairman Farooq Ahmad Tantray speaking from police lock up Kothibag condemned the use of indiscriminate police force on teachers. He termed the thrashing of nation builders as the worst form of authoritative highhandedness and said that teaching community will not bothered by these oppressive measures of authorities.
Farooq Ahmad Tantray said that over forty thousand RET teachers under SSA are reeling under traumatizing situation due to callous and irresponsible attitude of government. He said that 7th Pay Commission entitlements is the legal right of Rehbar -e -Taleem teachers under SSA and the stubborn attitude of authorities are forcing the teachers to leave educational institutions and demonstrate on streets for resolution of their genuine issues. He said that they are on streets from past four months but no measures have been taken yet from the previous government to till Governor Adminstration.
The other JKReTTF leadership who were arrested included Senior Vice Chairman Bhupinder Singh, State General Secretary Jahangir Alam Khan, State Secretary Zahoor uddin Baigh, Chief Spokesperson Mohammad Iqbal Bhat, Publicity Secretary Syed Imtiyaz, Coordinator Khalil Khan, Provincial President Irshad Rahi, Executive leaders Javid Gul, Khalid Rafeeq Bhat, Bashir Ahmad Parray, Sheikh Intikhab, Bhat Yaqoob, Sheikh Parvaiz, Bahadur Singh, Ishaq Rasheed, Pritam Dhiman, Ravi Kumar and dozens of zonal representatives.
Meanwhile JKReTTF Executive decided to intensify their strike from 28th August 2018 in case state government failed to address the 7th PC issue and delinking of SSA salaries. The Forum leadership warned the state adminstration that they will go on indefinite Sit-in protest at Press Enclave Srinagar and Press Club Jammu if the seventh pay commission were not implemented in their favour which this there right not demand reads the press release. Latter many teachers after police action offered their eid prayers in different streets of the city and inside police station premises where they were taken by the police. Earlier teachers was scheduled to offer eid prayers in partab park Srinagar as a mark of protest which police not allow to them and uses force in them to disburse. (KNS)