11, including cop, injured during teachers' protest in Patiala

Ten people were injured on Sunday as police lathicharged a group of teachers that was marching towards Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's residence to protest against conditions for their regularisation, police said.

A superintendent of police-rank officer was also injured in the melee as police tried to disperse the protesters who wanted to gherao Singh's residence, they said.

The protesters were demonstrating against the regularisation policy for 8,886 teachers of Adarsh schools, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA).

Police also used water cannons to disperse the protesters.

The protesters had gathered near the Patiala bus stand where barricades had been erected to stop them, the police said.

However, as they insisted on marching ahead, towards the chief minister's residence here, a scuffle broke out between protesters and police personnel, they said.

The teachers, most of whom are contractual employees, were protesting against a condition for their regularisation. According to the condition, the contractual teachers will have to work at a monthly salary of nearly Rs 15,000 for three years before being regularised in their jobs.

Some teachers alleged that the state government has stopped paying salaries to the SSA and RMSA teachers for not accepting its condition for regularisation.