LAHORE: Punjab police have intensified crackdown on teachers and government employees amid swelling protests across Punjab against amendments in leave encashment and pension rules, besides privatisation policy of public schools, arresting more than 100 public servants including teachers.
In Lahore, the police conducted a crackdown on government employees including teachers protesting outside the Civil Secretariat to press the provincial government for accepting their demands and arrested over 100 people.
In Faisalabad, protesters pelted stones on police party. The law enforcers resorted to teargas shelling
Protests were also held in Gujranwala, Gujrat, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Mian Channu by teachers. In Hafizabad, students also participated along with teachers to give vent to their anger against arrests of teachers’ representatives. After protest demonstrations, police booked 125 students, two headmasters and several teachers for blocking motorway.
In Arifwala, teachers took out rallies in favour of their demands. In this regard, there is no class work in the educational institutions for the last three days.
Teachers locked their classrooms in Pattoki to show their displeasure and concern over amendments in leave enchasment and gratuity rules.
They also demanded of the government to release the teachers representatives.
In Gujranwala, teaching staff after locking the classrooms boycotted the curricular activities. Male and female teachers gathered outside the deputy commissioner office and held protest demonstration. Thousands of male and female teachers from across the district are taking part in the protest.
Teachers representatives have demanded of the government to withdraw amendments in the leave enchashment and pension rules (service rules), stop privatisation of government schools and give them the group insurance on retirement.
They threatened to start holding protests on daily basis if their demands were not met by the government.
The Lahore police have conducted a crackdown on government employees including teachers protesting outside the Civil Secretariat for demands and arrested 91 people. The organisers of the protest had reportedly disappeared overnight, prompting police to begin collecting information from nearby private hotels to trace their location Police have declared that anyone who comes under their radar will face detention. It’s worth noting that some women who were part of the protest were allegedly subjected to police baton charge and subsequently arrested.
Sources said police initiated the operation late at night. Police teams from some police stations in Lahore were involved in the operation.
Three superintendents of police (SPs) oversaw the operation against the participants.
