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Student union activists, unemployed teachers held

Special Correspondent

Road roko staged in support of demands

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

DETAINED: Police arrest volunteers of youth and student organisations, and unemployed teachers, when they staged a road roko in Puducherry on Monday.

Puducherry: Volunteers of various student associations were arrested on Monday when they staged a road roko at Orleanpet here in support of the unemployed teachers. The teachers, who were on a fast, were also held with the police failing to persuade them to disperse.

The unemployed teacher trainees and graduates have been observing relay fast since Friday urging the Government to appoint candidates on the basis of their seniority in registration in the Employment Exchange. The agitators belonging to the youth and student outfits squatted on the main thoroughfares extending support to the fasting teachers. They included representatives from the Students Federation of India (SFI), the All India Students Association (AISF), the All India Students Federation (AISF), All India Youth Federation (AIYF), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA).

B. Ravikumar, the spokesperson of the Agitation Committee, said in a release earlier that the unemployed teachers would continue their agitation. He also maintained that 80 posts of the graduate teachers in schools should be filled through direct appointment.

Payment to teachers in private schools should be on par with the system adopted in Government schools. The Government should also adopt the norm of "one teacher for 25 students" in Government and private schools. With the fast continuing, the police intervened and removed the shamiana under which the fast was being observed since the last four days.

Heated arguments

This led to heated arguments between the agitators and the police, and a tense situation prevailed.

Traffic came to a grinding halt for nearly two and half hours. All the agitators and fasting teachers were detained. Police sources said that all the arrested would be released later.

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