India: Brutal Attack by Bihar Police on Primary Teachers Peaceful Demonstration

ALL INDIA FORUM FOR RIGHT TO EDUCATION
अखिल भारतीय शिकॠषा अधिकार मंच
Secretariat: 306, Pleasant Apartments, Bazarghat, Hyderabad 500 004
e-mail: aifrte.secretariat@gmail.com
सबको शिकॠषा ठक समान, मांग रहा है हिनॠदॠसॠतान !
Board of Advisers
Prof. Ramakant Agnihotri
Dr. P.M. Bhargava
Dr. Vashanti V. Devi
Prof. Sudarshan Iyengar
Dr. G.G.Parikh
Prof. N.D. Patil
Prof. K. Chakradhar Rao
Dr.B.D.Sharma
Dr. Banwari Lal Sharma
Sri S.P. Shukla
Sri Shatrughan Pd. Singh
Sri Bhai Vaidya
Prof. Rooprekha Verma
Presidium:
Prof. Wasi Ahmed
Prof. Meher Engineer
Sri Prabhakar Arade
Prof G. Hargopal
Sri Kedar Nath Pandey
Ms Madhu Prasad
Prof Anil Sadgopal
Sri Sunil.
Secretariat:
Sri D. Ramesh Patnaik
Ms Guddi S.L.
Dr. Sarwat Ali
Dr. Shaheen Ansari
Ms Geeta Athreya
Sri Trepan Singh Chauhan
Ms Simantini Dhuru
Sri Ajit Jha
Dr. Radhika Menon

CONDEMN BRUTAL ATTACK BY BIHAR POLICE ON PRIMARY TEACHERS PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION

7th March, 2013
New Delhi

The AIF-RTE strongly condemns the brutal assault using water cannon, tear gas and lathicharge, by the Bihar police against thousands of contractual and Panchayati Raj institution appointed primary teachers as they protested near the Assembly on March 5, 2013. Over 25,000 teachers, including women, had marched from Gandhi Maidan and were peacefully demonstrating when the unprovoked attack occurred at 3.30 p.m. Hundreds ran for protection to Hardinge Park but were followed there by the police and badly beaten. “It was like Jallianwalla Bagh†, many said. Even women teachers were not spared the abuse and beatings. Protestors were chased up to two kms. They were finally transported to a distant police station where again many were beaten. No toilet facilities or food were available.
Around 50 persons have been arrested on serious charges of illegal assembly, rioting, being armed with deadly weapons, criminal assault and even attempt to murder. Shri Akhilesh Kumar, general secretary of the Bihar Rajya Prathmik Shikshak Sangh challenged the government to make recordings of the peaceful protest public. Even the SP said they were not sure if `anti-social’ elements had started the stone pelting.
Under the banner of Bihar Rajya Shikshak Sangharsh Morcha, two other organizations, Bihar Panchayat Nagar Prathmik Shikshak Sangh and Nau-Niyukt Madhyamik Shikshak Sangathan, were also part of the protest. They were demanding regularization of service of contract teachers, equal pay for equal work and a common school system.
Instead of meeting their justified demands, the Chief Minister and education officials claimed that 2.42 lakh new appointees under the Panchayat scheme have a lower pay scale as government has appointed them “as per its resources†.
AIF-RTE denounces this attitude which is thoroughly anti-teacher and detrimental to the educational health of primary schools. The ultimate sufferers are none other than the lakhs of poor students who depend on these schools for their right to education. AIF-RTE demands that the Bihar government immediate address the just demands of the teachers through consultations with their organizations instead of resorting to inhuman suppression of the aggrieved teachers.

Prof. Meher Engineer,
Chairperson

Ms. Madhu Prasad,
Spokes Person

Ramesh Patnaik,
Organizing Secretary

शिकॠषा नहीं कोई कारोबार, है यह जनता का अधिकार !

Contacts:
Chairman: Prof. Meher Engineer, Tel : 09903008603; e-mail: mengineer2003@gmail.com
Organising Secretary: Sri D.Ramesh Patnaik, Tel : 09440980396, 040-23305266; e-mail: drameshptk@gmail.com
Treasurer: Ms. Guddi, S.L., Tel :09869059860, 022-23870097; e-mail: kgaswadesi1947@gmail.com
Office Secretary: Dr. Vikram S Amarawat, 081288293711, Email: ,