JACTO protest: 3,000 teachers arrested

Krishnagiri: Over 3,000 government teachers were arrested for staging a protest in front of the district collector’s offices in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri. The protest entered the third day on Monday to press their demands.

In Krishnagiri, 2000 teachers working in the elementary, middle and high schools participated in the protest called by the ‘Joint action committee of teacher’s organization (JACTO)’ to press for their 15-point charter of demands.

The teachers were arrested when they tried to gherao the district collector’s office. The police kept them in private halls and released them in the evening.

Official sources confirmed that classes were not held at many places because 81 per cent of the elementary school teachers did not report for the duty and another 51 per cent teachers at high and middle schools level were also absent.

In Dharmapuri, police arrested around 1,000 teachers for a similar protest in front of the district collector office.

The JACTO’s three day protest from January 30 to February 1 held across the state was called to demand salary on par with the central government employees and they also want the new contributory pension scheme to be scrapped. The protestors also demanded the state to regularize 45,000 teachers who have been recruited on consolidated pay during 2004-2005.