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3000 teachers arrested in Orissa

M I Khan in Bhubaneswar

The police arrested over 3000 non-government school and college teachers during a protest near the Orissa secretariat on Wednesday.

Two dozen teachers were hospitalised following injuries.

"Over two dozen teachers were injured by the police during the protest and about 2500 teachers were arrested," said the All Orissa Teachers' Federation secretary general Abani Kumar Boral.

The injured, who were admitted to the casualty ward of the government-run capital hospital included women and some teachers' eyes were damaged, while others suffered hand and head injuries, sources said.

Boral said about 25,000 teachers and education employees had protested at three points near the state secretariat. ''It has vindicated our stand that the state government is working against teachers," he said.

Most teachers were injured by the water spray used by the police.

The teachers were arrested when they broke the police barricade and tried to enter the state secretariat.

Last week, the AOTF had announced that about 30,000 non-government school and college teachers would protest near the secretariat as part of a civil disobedience agitation, against non-implementation of various long-standing demands, including release of grant-in-aid to all eligible schools and colleges.

The teachers have decided to observe August 16 as Sankalp Divas, to start a new battle to save education.

Sources said that many teachers have started courting arrest. .

The teachers have chosen to fight their battle against the state government by adopting the Gandhian path of civil disobedience as part of their agitation, against privatisation and commercialisation of education.

"Our slogan is simple: Save education and save teachers," said Boral.

He pointed out that civil disobedience was the right path to fight against the government.

State home secretary T K Mishra claimed that no arrests had been made till afternoon.

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