Cops drag & detain protesters as teacher recruitment stir turns tense

Bhopal: A tense confrontation broke out between police and selected (grade-3) teacher candidates here on Thursday after the aspirants blocked roads at Board Office Square, demanding immediate appointment letters and the start of the joining process.Police later detained several protesters to clear the road, triggering allegations of rough treatment that officers have rejected.The candidates have been holding a sit-in at the busy square since October 5. Frustrated by the continued delay, they moved onto the road on Thursday afternoon, sat across both sides and raised slogans, severely disrupting traffic in the area.Some protesters also banged steel plates and lay on the road as police attempted to remove them.After the removal operation, the candidates alleged that police personnel assaulted them and dragged women protesters while clearing the blockade.Police denied the charges, saying the protesters had no permission to obstruct a public road and that police acted to restore traffic movement.The police maintained that the action was limited to clearing the road and taking the demonstrators into custody. Several aspirants reportedly began singing the national anthem as they were detained. Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said, “The police did not engage in any form of excess. The protesters had blocked the road, causing inconvenience to the general public; therefore, they were merely taken into custody. They were released after signing a personal bond. A case will be registered against them for intentionally blocking the road.”The protesters, who are merit-listed candidates for the Primary Teacher grade-3 recruitment, say they have repeatedly sought meetings with officials but the appointment process has not progressed despite their 26-day agitation. They are demanding the immediate release of appointment letters and joining dates.According to the candidates, School Education Minister Rao Uday Pratap Singh had earlier assured them that appointments would be issued by October 16. With that deadline passing without action, they said they were left with no option but to intensify their protest by blocking the road.The incident has intensified attention on the prolonged impasse between the selected candidates and the School Education Department. The aspirants remain firm that they will continue their agitation until the government begins the appointment process, while police have indicated that any further attempt to block the road without permission may invite action.Officials had not announced a fresh timeline for issuing the appointment letters till the time of reporting. When contacted school education department did not respond to repeated calls.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhopal | Silver Rate in Bhopal | Bank Holidays in Bhopal | Public Holidays in Bhopal | Petrol Price in Bhopal | Diesel Price in Bhopal | CNG Price in Bhopal | LPG Price in BhopalStay updated with the latest Bhopal news. Download the TOI App.