To stop teacher from joining protest, Bathinda cops enter classroom, stay for 6 hours
The uniformed officers remained in the classroom for six hours, from 8am until the school's closing at 2 pm, despite the presence of three to six-year-old children.
Veerpal Kaur Sidhana, the teacher (associate 'adhyapak'), said she had no plans to attend any protest in Ludhiana, where Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann was addressing a public meeting. Sidhana is the state president of the Shaheed Kiranjit Kaur Pre-Primary Associate Adhyapak Union, Punjab.
According to Sidhana, police personnel arrived at her residence at 6am and then accompanied her to the Government Middle School at Hazi Rattan by 8am. Before entering the classroom, officers allegedly demanded her phone, a request she refused. Three cops, including two female constables, then remained inside her classroom.
The pre-primary wing of the school caters to 56 students, with two associate teachers for them.
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Calling the presence of police personnel in uniform in her classroom a direct attack on her life and democratic rights, Sidhana said, "It seems the real face of the so-called 'Sikhiya Kranti' (Education Revolution) of the AAP govt has been unmasked."
While there is no legal bar on police entering a school in uniform or a classroom, the manner and duration of the Bathinda officers' presence have drawn criticism.
The Democratic Teacher Front (DTF) state president, Digvijay Pal Sharma, said, "It is an unthinkable act of the police.
At least they could have avoided reaching the classroom where small kids get education."
After school hours, teachers lodged a formal protest with the Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amneet Kondal.
"No order was issued to go to the school. The cops entered the classroom on their own. Stern action will be taken against all of them, including the SHO," the SSP said.
Sidhana's union represents around 6,000 associate teachers across the state who teach pre-primary classes.
These teachers, converted from volunteers under various schemes in July 2023, currently earn Rs 19,845 per month.
"We are demanding the regularisation of our services and all the emoluments, according to pay scales eligible to regular teachers," Sidhana said. "For it, we have been holding a struggle for over a decade, and in July 2023, the govt made claims to regularise our services, but in reality, nothing such was done as only our wages were enhanced."
In a related incident, another teacher, Rajinder Singh, was picked up by police from his residence in Ludhiana in the early hours of Monday and released in the afternoon.
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