Traffic jam near Sectt, protesting teachers lathicharged

KT NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, Feb 17: Traffic remained suspended for at least two and a half hour from 12 noon to 2.30 PM at always busy Shalamar Chowk while police resorted to mild lathi-charge controlling approximately 3000 government teachers including women, who were trying to march towards Civil Secretariat to stage a protest demonstration against alleged 'continuous betrayals' at the hands of PDP-led coalition government.

Demanding immediate implementation of an agreement reached between the then Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah in 1998 and subsequently endorsed by present Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in February 2003, the procession was led by J&K Teachers' Forum (J&KTF) chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani.

Soon after reaching Shalamar Chowk the procession being led by Wani confronted a heavy posse of police personnel including lady police, who had a tough time foiling the attempts of teachers to march towards Civil Secretariat where budget session was going on.

Dy SP City Ravinder Kumar Chalotra, who had ordered sealing of road from Shalamar Chowk leading to Civil Secretariat with barricades and strong posse of police personnel, faced tough resistance from the aggrieved teachers.

Shouting slogans against the Mufti-led government the big swarm of aggrieved teachers including women tried their best to break away the cordon to reach Civil Secretariat.

However, heavy police bandobast coupled with mild cane-charge on a couple of occasions foiled attempts of the irate teachers.

SP City North Prabhat Singh and SSP Jammu Kamal Saini were also present at the scene to supervise the cordon arrangements.

Later Abdul Qayoom Wani and his supporters, who were roughed up by the police personnel courted arrest amidst shouting of slogans by the teachers' fraternity.

Three buses were pressed into service by the police to deport aggressive teachers from Shalamar Chowk while others staged a sit-in dharna for some time and later dispersed from the scene.

Earlier, addressing the teachers at Hari Singh Higher Secondary School from where the procession started its march, Wani while lambasting Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed for not implementing the agreement reached between J&KTF and the then NC government warned him of 'dire consequences' saying, "if the demands are not conceded at the earliest then one lakh teachers having support of twenty lakh voters in the state will be compelled to exercise their mandate against the present dispensation".

While talking to KTNS Wani demanded immediate removal of pay anomalies, regularization of migrant, ReT and FAT teachers, leave encashment, masters grade to all trained graduate and post graduate teachers besides holding of exams in March in Kashmir division.

Wani further said, "tomorrow we will gherao Chief Minster's official residence at 10.30 AM to lodge our protest and to seek immediate and positive response from the CM".