Assam Drop Teachers Association protests over job regularisation again, detained

Guwahati, Mar 20: Members of the All Assam Drop Teachers Association (2013/2021) took to the streets of Guwahati, demanding the regularisation of their jobs on Thursday.

The demonstrators, who had gathered outside the Sarva Shiksha office in Kahilipara, later marched to Janata Bhawan to press for their long-standing demands.

Alleging government apathy, the protesting teachers called for immediate action to secure their employment.

“We have been facing this issue for a long time. Why do we have to go through this when we have completed the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and Diploma in Elementary Education (D.EL.ED)? I request the government to check our documents,” said one protestor, who didn’t wish to be named.

In response to the agitation, a heavy police force was deployed to maintain order on the mentioned roads. The protestors were subsequently detained and transported in buses to Kahilipara, where they are currently being held.

Expressing her distress over the detainment, protestor Purabi Saikia said, “We have been held captive, and the authorities have confined us in Kahilipara. I have nothing to say at this point. It’s unbearable for teachers who are fasting, especially with Ramzan ongoing. I don’t know when they will let us go.”

This is not the first time the All Assam Drop Teachers Association has taken to the streets. On January 20, members staged a similar protest, accusing the government of a discriminatory approach toward provincialisation.

While some of their colleagues have been regularised, many remain without compensation, they had alleged. The police had then detained the demonstrators and moved them to Chachal.

The teachers’ association has long been advocating for the provincialisation of their jobs, but their demands remain largely ignored. With no resolution in sight, they have once again resorted to public demonstrations, urging the government to acknowledge their plight and take action.