SHILLONG, Oct 6: Civil society organisations, political parties and others on Thursday criticised the state police for using “excessive” force and allegedly manhandling protesting contractual teachers who lost their jobs, and asked Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui to step down.
The incident occurred when the protestors were taking out a march to the Secretariat to push for their reinstatement.
Condemning the incident, the Voice of the People Party (VPP) said the excessive use of force against the teachers, who are protesting demanding their rights, was unwarranted.
The government’s decision not to entertain the case of the contractual teachers and deprive them of their livelihood overnight is “oppression” against the nation-builders, the VPP said.
Secondly, it claimed, the government has miserably failed to manage the issue by not coming out with an alternative solution, thereby forcing the poor teachers to the streets. “If the CM, the Deputy CM and other ministers can undertake a junket abroad, why can’t they meet the agitating teachers?” the VPP asked.
Stating that the government has “cowardly” put a nail on the coffin by firing tear gas on the peaceful teachers as if they were “hooligans”, the party said, “The Minister in-charge of Home and Education should take moral responsibility and resign immediately and the police personnel involved in this inhuman act be booked as this is an utter violation of human rights.”
“The violent act committed against the contractual teachers by this insensitive and corruptible MDA government should be condemned by one and all…other than those in a barbaric world,” VPP general secretary Ricky AJ Syngkon said.
Condemning it, Trinamool Congress state president Charles Pyngrope said the government should have acted in a more humane manner in dealing with the situation as the families of the teachers were also present there. “This action of the government is deplorable. My heart goes out to the families of the teachers and their children who had to go through this trauma,” he said.
He asked the government to ensure such an incident does not recur.
KAM member Angela Rangad said, “KAM Meghalaya strongly condemns the use of excessive force by the police against the contractual teachers who have been on an agitation for the past three weeks.”
She said as the teachers were taking out a peaceful march to push for the fulfillment of their single demand, the policemen on duty lobbed “tear gas bombs” on them. “The excessive use of force by the police is unwarranted and highly condemnable. KAM Meghalaya demands an independent judicial inquiry. Anyone who is involved in the highhandedness should be punished as per the law,” she insisted.
She further said, “It is also a matter of grave violation of human rights against women as no women police personnel were present there and women were manhandled by the police. The women’s commission should also take cognisance and inquire this.”
