Page 7 - Protest

Nearly 50 protesting jobless teachers detained on way to Bengal secretariat

Nearly 50 jobless teachers protesting under the banner of the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum were detained at two locations here on their way to the West Bengal state secretariat, Nabanna. The group had assembled to demand permanent reinstatement as eligible teachers, opposing the state's directive to retake recruitment exams. As hundreds of protesters gathered at Sealdah Station and Esplanade around 2 km apart to begin their march, they were stopped by police personnel already deployed at the sites. "We were not allowed to hold a democratic march in a peaceful manner. All we wanted to do was to seek an appointment with CM Mamata Banerjee and let her know our situation and demand," said a forum member. In a symbolic act of protest, some demonstrators removed their shirts. Deputy Commissioner (Central) Indira Mukherjee said around 50 protesters were detained for attempting to obstruct traffic and disrupt public order. Mukherjee said a protester suffered a leg injury during a sc

Protesting teachers to hold meeting today with Bengal edu dept official

A six-member delegation of agitating teachers, who have lost their jobs following a recent Supreme Court order, will meet West Bengal education department officials on Monday to find a solution to the impasse, one of the protesters said. State Education Minister Bratya Basu is unlikely to attend the meeting, officials said. The members of the Deserving Teachers' Rights Forum will meet the officials at Bikash Bhavan, the headquarters of the education department, in Salt Lake area, after the government decided to initiate talks with them, a protester said. Senior education department officials will hold a discussion with the protesting teachers around 1 pm, he said. The protesting teachers have been staging a sit-in for several days near Bikash Bhavan, demanding that they be reinstated in their jobs. They also refused to take part in a fresh recruitment exam as mandated by the top court. "We have been demanding that the deserving teachers be reinstated in their jobs. We are also ...

Thousands mark 5th anniversary of George Floyd's murder, slam Trump

Police reform and civil-rights activists joined thousands of ordinary people on Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder and decry the Trump administration for actions they say set their efforts back decades. The Rev. Al Sharpton said at a graveside service with the dead man's family in Houston that Floyd, 46, represented all of those who are defenceless against people who thought they could put their knee on our neck. He compared Floyd's killing to that of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black child who was abducted, mutilated and slain in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman. What Emmett Till was in his time, George Floyd has been for this time in history, Sharpton said. *Site of his death Events in Minneapolis centered around George Floyd Square, the intersection where police Officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin Floyd's neck to the pavement for 9 1/2 minutes, even as Floyd cried I can't breathe. By midday Sunday, a steady str

Supporters of Bolivia's Morales clash with police to secure his candidacy

Hundreds of supporters of ex-President Evo Morales marched toward Bolivia's top electoral court on Friday to push for their leftist leader's candidacy in presidential elections later this year, a rally that descended into street clashes as police tried to clear out a group of demonstrators. The confrontations come in response to a ruling by Bolivia's Constitutional Court that blocks Morales, the nation's first Indigenous president who governed from 2006 until his ouster in 2019, from running again in Aug 17 elections. The turmoil escalates political tensions as Bolivia undergoes its worst economic crisis in four decades. As the march arrived in Bolivia's capital of La Paz, protesters seeking to register Morales' candidacy surged toward the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, chanting, Comrades, what do we want? For Evo to come back! Security forces barricading a road to the court held them back. Police reported that the clashes between rock-throwing protesters and tear gas-lobbing police .

BluSmart drivers hit the streets for compensation and job guarantee

After BluSmart's abrupt shutdown, drivers protest in Delhi seeking severance pay, employment guarantees and the right to unionise amid growing concerns over gig worker rights

Crushed by school fees? Parents rise in protest across major cities

Protests erupt across Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad as parents struggle to keep up with rising education costs

Thousands rally across US in fresh wave of protests against Trump policies

Nearly a fortnight after the first wave of demonstrations, protesters returned to the streets to express frustration over Trump's policies

Learn to protest before writing PSC tests: WCPO rank holders tell aspirants

Those preparing for the state Public Service Commission (PSC) tests should first learn how to protest, is the advice given by the women CPO rank list holders, who have been protesting outside the Secretariat here for the last 18 days seeking appointment orders, to future government job aspirants in the state. The advice came from the protesting Women Civil Police Officer (WCPO) candidates on Saturday -- the last day till when their rank lists are valid. While the state government reportedly gave appointment orders recently to around 45 rank list holders, including a few who are among the protesters, hundreds of candidates still remain in the list which is set to expire on April 19. "We would like to tell those who are preparing for the PSC tests that you should first know how to protest, where the AKG centre (CPI-M party headquarters) is located and which officials you have to beg, before writing the exams," one of the protestors told a TV channel. Another WCPO candidate said they

'Harvard has lost its way': Trump renews threats over aid, 'woke' policies

US President Donald Trump has intensified his clash with Harvard, accusing the university of ideological bias, threatening its tax status, and declaring it has 'lost its way' under its current leaders

K'taka truckers to hold strike over fuel price hike, toll-related issues

The trucks from Karnataka are expected to go off the road from midnight on Monday as the truckers affiliated to the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association (FOKSLOAA) are set to begin their indefinite strike against fuel price hike and harassment at toll plazas. According to the FOKSLOAA's honorary general secretary Somasundaram Balan, the federation is the biggest transport body in Karnataka with nearly six lakh trucks enrolled with it and comprises 196 truckers' bodies. There is no change in our programme. We will go ahead with our strike because the Karnataka government has not called us for any meeting yet. Our demands are against fuel price hike and toll issues, Balan told PTI. In a letter to its members, FOKSLOAA gave a call for an indefinite suspension of transport operations in Karnataka for resolution of critical and long-standing issues faced by the road transport sector in the state. Steep hike in Value Added Taxes (VAT) on diesel, resulted in a

Five students suspended at Delhi's Ambedkar University amid protest

The Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) administration has suspended five students, including elected representatives of the student union, triggering sharp criticism and allegations of repression by the Students' Federation of India (SFI). There was no immediate response available from the AUD administration. The suspensions come amid an ongoing protest by SFI activists, who have been staging an indefinite sit-in and relay hunger strike demanding the revocation of earlier disciplinary action against three students -? Anan, Harsh, and Nadia. The five students suspended on Friday -- Sharanya Verma (treasurer, AUD Students' Union), Shubhojeet Dey (PhD scholar), Shefali (secretary, SFI AUD unit), Keerthana, and Ajay --? are associated with the SFI or its affiliated student bodies. In an official statement, the SFI alleged that the students were "punished" for attempting to meet Vice Chancellor Anu Singh Lather on Friday to seek dialogue and accountability over the ongoing crisis. The ...

WB education min's 'empty promises' mean nothing, say protesting teachers

Three teachers, who have been staging a hunger strike for the last three days demanding that the West Bengal SSC release a list of eligible candidates of the 2016 recruitment examination, on Saturday said "hollow promises" made by Education Minister Bratya Basu meant nothing to them. Basu had on Friday said the School Service Commission (SSC) was ready to publish the digital mirror image of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets of all 22 lakh candidates who had appeared in the 2016 exam, after a Supreme Court judgment invalidated the appointment of 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staffers of schools in the state, terming the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted". The agitating teachers -- Pankaj Roy, Suman Biswas, and Pratap Kumar Saha -- began their indefinite fast before the SSC office at Acharya Bhavan here at 11 am on April 10 calling for immediate demarcation between tainted and untainted candidates whose jobs were invalidated by the apex court on April 3. Speaking t

Indian Youth Congress stages protest against LPG, fuel price hike

Members of the Indian Youth Congress held a protest here on Saturday against the recent hike in excise duty on petrol and diesel as well as the rise in prices of CNG and LPG, accusing the Narendra Modi government of failing to manage the country's economy. The protest took place at the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) office on Raisina Road. Workers of the outfit raised slogans and criticised the BJP-led Centre over rising fuel and cooking gas prices despite falling international crude oil rates. "Under the Modi government, the economic health of the country is in a very bad shape. The price of petrol and diesel is high despite lower rates of crude oil in the international market. An LPG cylinder used to cost Rs 400 during the UPA government and today it has crossed Rs 1,000," a protester told PTI videos. IYC president Uday Bhanu Chib accused the Centre of burdening the people with higher prices to cover for its "economic mismanagement". "On one hand, Modi's friend Trump is slamming ...

Violent protests against Waqf Act in Bengal leave 10 policemen injured

Protests against the Waqf Act rocked parts of West Bengal on Friday, as agitators set ablaze vehicles, disrupted vehicular and rail movement, with a few policemen suffering injuries while trying to control the mob, officials said. The demonstrations took a violent turn in Suti in Murshidabad district when the protesters assembled despite prohibitory orders and blocked roads, hurled stones at security personnel, torched police vans and public buses during processions, they said. According to a senior police officer, trouble started when Muslims gathered after Friday prayers and staged protests against the Waqf Act, blocking a stretch of National Highway-12 from Dakbanglo More in Shamsherganj to Sutir Sajur More. "The protests turned violent after the agitators hurled stones at a police van, resulting in a clash in which around 10 policemen were injured," he said. Police had to lathi-charge to bring the unruly mob under control, and later use tear gas shells when some protesters thre

Belgrade braces for pro-president rally amid rising tensions in Serbia

Chanting patriotic songs, thousands of supporters of Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic gathered in downtown Belgrade on Friday, a day ahead of what authorities expect to be a huge rally in his support. Belgrade was on edge, with authorities preparing for large crowds and potential counter-demonstrations in different parts of Serbia, including an anti-government rally in a southern Muslim-populated part of the country. The rally in the Serbian capital is expected to be a significant moment in Serbia's ongoing political crisis after more than five months of student-led anti-corruption protests triggered by a rail station canopy collapse that killed 16 people in the north of the country on November 1. In Belgrade on Friday, Vucic unveiled a Serbian red blue and white flag which the state-run media said is the largest in the history of the Balkan state. In the central parts of the capital in front of the parliament building, dozens of tents were erected to house Vucic's ...

Le Pen supporters rally in Paris, making it a populist show of force

Convicted of embezzling public funds and banned from running for office, far-right politician Marine Le Pen stood unshaken before a sea of French flags in Paris on Sunday. For 30 years I have fought against injustice, she told the crowd. And I will continue to fight. Thousands of supporters gathered at Place Vauban, near the golden dome of Les Invalides and the tomb of Napoleon, for what was billed as a protest but observers said it had all the markings of a campaign rally. The National Rally, Le Pen's party, organized the event in response to what it calls a politically motivated verdict. But with chants of Marine Prsidente! and They won't steal 2027 from us, the message was clear: this was more than a protest. It was a show of populist defiance aimed squarely at France's institutions. At the heart of that charge stood Jordan Bardella, Le Pen's 29-year-old protg and president of the National Rally. His speech was fiery, accusing France's judges of trying to silence the ...

Nationwide 'Hands Off!' protests target Trump, Musk over policy moves

Opponents of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk plan to rally across the US on Saturday to protest the administration's actions on government downsizing, the economy, human rights and other issues. More than 1,200 Hands Off! demonstrations have been planned by more than 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LBGTQ+ advocates, veterans and fair-elections activists. The protests are planned for the National Mall in Washington, DC, state capitols and other locations in all 50 states. The White House did not return an email message seeking comment about the protests. Trump has promoted his policies as being in the best interest of the US. Protesters are assailing the Trump administration's moves to fire thousands of federal workers, close Social Security Administration field offices, effectively shutter entire agencies, deport immigrants, scale back protections for transgender people and cut federal funding for health programs. Musk, a Trump advis

Microsoft employees protest at 50th anniversary party over Israel contract

A pro-Palestinian protest by Microsoft employees interrupted the company's 50th anniversary celebration Friday, the latest backlash over the tech industry's work to supply artificial intelligence technology to the Israeli military. The protest began as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman was presenting product updates and a long-term vision for the company's AI assistant product, Copilot, to an audience that included Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former CEO Steve Ballmer. Mustafa, shame on you, shouted Microsoft employee Ibtihal Aboussad as she walked toward the stage and Suleyman paused his speech. You claim that you care about using AI for good but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty-thousand people have died and Microsoft powers this genocide in our region. Thank you for your protest, I hear you, Suleyman said. Aboussad continued, shouting that Suleyman and all of Microsoft had blood on their hands. She also threw onto the stage a keffiyeh scarf, which h

Police halt Hyderabad University's protest rally against land development

A protest rally by students and faculty of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) against the Telangana government's plans to develop a 400-acre land parcel in Kancha Gachibowli bordering the varsity, was stopped by the police here on Wednesday. The UoH Teachers Association led a rally from Ambedkar auditorium to East Campus in solidarity with the agitating students. According to students, the police barricaded the entire East Campus area while heavy machinery was deployed to clear the site. As the protesters attempted to advance, the police stopped and dispersed them using "mild force". The demonstrators raised slogans such as "police go back". A protesting student told media that the police resorted to lathi-charge on students and faculty. However, a police official denied the claims and said, "They were prevented from taking out the rally." The University of Hyderabad Students' Union (UoHSU) and other unions and parties aligned with it have launched an indefinite protest and annou

Trump admin to award women student leaders from Bangladesh protests

The Bangladeshi women will be receiving the 'Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award'. The names of the individual honourees have not been disclosed by the US State Department