Govt teachers protest, face police action

Accusing the Jammu and Kashmir government of being "non-serious" to their demands, hundreds of government teachers today took out a protest march before they were dispersed by police, who used tear gas shells and water cannons.
Hundreds of teachers, under the banner of Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Forum and led by its chairman and Employees Joint Action Committee president Abdul Qayoom Wani, gathered at Sher-e-Kashmir Park here and tried to march towards the office of Director Education, officials said.
As they reached Regal Chowk, police asked them to disperse but they refused and tried to move ahead, forcing the police to swing into action.

Police used batons, water-canons and fired dozens of tear gas shells to disperse the protesting teachers, the officials said.
Dozens of protestors were taken into preventive custody, they said, adding no one was injured in the police action.
Teachers have been demanding release of salaries of teachers engaged under various centrally-sponsored schemes like SSA and RMSA and pay anomaly of masters.

Also against the alleged "harassment of teachers in the name of transfer policy, the officials said.
Earlier, addressing the teachers, Wani accused the government of being "non-serious".
He said the government has done nothing to address the problems and troubles faced by the teachers.

He also accused the administration of using "dictatorial policy" and said the transfer orders and circulars issued by the administration were an attempt to play with the honour and dignity of teachers.
"Leaders of Teachers Forum and lecturers Forum are being harassed in the name of transfers. They are using a dictatorial policy and we will fight it," he said.
The protesting teachers have also threatened to gherao Civil Secretariat in Jammu of February 21.