Education officers call off stir after govt assurances on Shalarth ID arrests
The 'mass leave' agitation, which began on August 8, was initiated to protest what the union described as arbitrary arrests of education department officers and staff in various districts without proper investigation. The Shalarth ID fraud, involving alleged irregularities in the department's salary and service record management system, has prompted a wave of arrests by the police across the state in the recent weeks.
On August 12, school education minister Dada Bhuse and education department principal secretary Ranjitsingh Deol met with union office-bearers to discuss their demands. Following what the union described as a 'positive response', the agitation was suspended with immediate effect. Key assurances given by the government included no officer or employee will be arrested without prior investigation. All cases related to bogus Shalarth entries, including those in the Nagpur division, will be handed over to the special inquiry committee constituted by the state government. Officers suspended in connection with the fraud will be reinstated to service after due process.The police department will be officially informed, at the government level, about the union's demands and concerns.
The union stated that the minister and principal secretary had firmly assured that 'no innocent officer or employee will face wrongful action'.
Jyoti Parihar of the union said, 'We have been protesting for the past few weeks. Finally, the education minister has given us an assurance that he will look into the matter and has accepted our demands. However, if this does not happen in the coming days, we will resume our protest.'
While the agitation has been suspended, the union has warned that if any arrest is carried out in violation of these assurances in the future, the protest will be resumed without prior notice.
The union has appealed to all gazetted officers and employees of the education service to resume duty from August 13.
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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Education officers call off stir after govt assurances on Shalarth ID arrests
Pune: The state-wide agitation announced by the All Maharashtra Education Service Gazetted Officers and Employees Union has been temporarily called off after the state government assured that no innocent officers or employees would face wrongful arrest in the ongoing Shalarth ID fraud probe. All Maharashtra Education Service Gazetted Officers and Employees Union called off state-wide agitation after the state assured that no innocent officers or employees would face wrongful arrest in Shalarth ID fraud probe. (HT) The 'mass leave' agitation, which began on August 8, was initiated to protest what the union described as arbitrary arrests of education department officers and staff in various districts without proper investigation. The Shalarth ID fraud, involving alleged irregularities in the department's salary and service record management system, has prompted a wave of arrests by the police across the state in the recent weeks. On August 12, school education minister Dada Bhuse and education department principal secretary Ranjitsingh Deol met with union office-bearers to discuss their demands. Following what the union described as a 'positive response', the agitation was suspended with immediate effect. Key assurances given by the government included no officer or employee will be arrested without prior investigation. All cases related to bogus Shalarth entries, including those in the Nagpur division, will be handed over to the special inquiry committee constituted by the state government. Officers suspended in connection with the fraud will be reinstated to service after due police department will be officially informed, at the government level, about the union's demands and concerns. The union stated that the minister and principal secretary had firmly assured that 'no innocent officer or employee will face wrongful action'. Jyoti Parihar of the union said, 'We have been protesting for the past few weeks. Finally, the education minister has given us an assurance that he will look into the matter and has accepted our demands. However, if this does not happen in the coming days, we will resume our protest.' While the agitation has been suspended, the union has warned that if any arrest is carried out in violation of these assurances in the future, the protest will be resumed without prior notice. The union has appealed to all gazetted officers and employees of the education service to resume duty from August 13.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Indefinite strike by education officers called off after government assurances
Nagpur: Education officers across Maharashtra have called off their mass leave protest after a meeting with school education minister Dada Bhuse in Mumbai on Tuesday. All education officers have been asked to resume duties from August 13. According to sources, the minister assured the officers' association that their key demands would be considered positively and that no innocent official would face arbitrary action in connection with the scam, which has rocked the school education department. "The minister and principal secretary assured that the police department would be informed at the government level about the association's memorandum, and that action against officers would be taken only after a proper investigation. Following this assurance, the agitation has been called off for now," the association said. However, the association warned that if any future arrests are made without following due process, the agitation would resume without prior notice. Class 1 and Class 2 education officers had launched the stir on August 8, alleging high-handedness by police investigating the Shalarth ID scam and the arrest of Nagpur's district education officers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pure Option Trading Strategy: No Indicators, Just Results ! TradeWise Learn More Undo Principal secretary of the department Ranjit Singh Deol, office-bearers of the Akhil Maharashtra Shikshan Seva Rajpatrit Adhikari Sangh, and all directors and joint directors of education, attended the meeting. According to the association, Bhuse agreed to refer all bogus Shalarth cases, including those in the Nagpur division, to the special investigation team constituted on August 7. He also assured that no officer or staff member would be arrested without due inquiry and that those suspended in connection with the case would be reinstated. Issues related to excessive workload and video conferences beyond office hours were also discussed at the meeting. The association thanked the Rajpatrit Adhikari Mahasangh, other employees' unions, elected representatives, teachers' and non-teaching staff associations, education extension officers, centre heads, senior officials, and the media for supporting what it described as a "historic and successful" agitation. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Day 2: Edu officers' mass leave protest affects administrative work
Nagpur: Class 1 and 2 education officers across Maharashtra, under the banner of the Akhil Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Seva Rajpatrit Adhikari Sangh, continued their mass leave agitation on Monday. This, technically, marked the second day of their statewide protest against what they term the "high-handedness" of police in the ongoing probe into the Shalarth ID scam. The agitation began on Friday, but the intervening weekend holidays meant its impact was only felt in earnest as offices reopened. The association members will meet school education minister Dada Bhuse and the principal secretary in Mumbai on Tuesday. According to association members, the protest is not against the investigation itself but against the manner in which it is being conducted. Officials allege that the probe is marked by arbitrary questioning, extended hours of interrogation, and sudden arrests, creating an atmosphere of fear within the department. "Education officers at district, deputy, and block levels are all on leave. This is a collective stand to demand fairness and transparency in the process," said a senior association representative. The group has sought a written assurance from the state govt that no officer will be harassed or detained without substantial evidence. On Monday, the absence of these senior officers began affecting routine administrative functions but its strong impact was not yet felt. In some places, including Nagpur, charge is being handled by other officials, hence the impact was not visible so far. However, sources say as the days progress the impact will be visible because the files will start to pile up as the in-charge officials also have to cater to their primary job. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by Nagpur police is currently probing the scam, which involves alleged misuse and creation of fake Shalarth IDs for financial irregularities. It's the arrests made by this team which riled up education officers. The association claims its members are cooperating fully with the probe and are willing to provide all necessary documents and clarifications. However, they maintain that sudden arrests without "strong reasons" are unacceptable. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
