Police on Sunday fired tear gas shells and sprayed water through cannons to disperse the recommended assistant teachers of government primary schools, whose appointments were cancelled by a court order, as they were holding a protest rally in the capital Dhaka, demanding their appointments.
The recommended teachers have been staging demonstrations since the court verdict on February 6.
Earlier on February 10 and 13, police had used batons, water cannons and sound grenades to disperse the protesters during their Shahbagh blockade programmes, leaving some of them injured. Police had also picked up some protesters who were released later.
On Sunday morning, several hundred protesters from different districts of Dhaka and Chattogram divisions started gathering in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh to participate in the rally.
Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolan, and Mashiur Rahman Khan Richard, president of Ganosamhati Andolan’s student wing Students’ Federation of Bangladesh, at noon expressed their solidarity with the protesting recommended teachers.
Speaking at the protesters’ gathering at Shahbagh, Saki urged the authorities concerned to make decisions realising the realities of the recommended assistant teachers as many of them lost jobs after having being recommended.
‘Your [the protesters’] demand is justified,’ said Saki, adding that the authorities had to take the responsibility if something wrong happened in the recruitment process.
In the rally, the protesters said that they were discriminated as the first and second phases of the recruitment were completed, but appointments of the third phase were cancelled.
The protesters began a march at 3:00pm from Shahbagh to the National Press Club as part of their rally and they tried to break through police barricade in front of the Shikkha Bhaban to take position in front of the secretariat.
Water was sprayed through canons on the protesters but they took position on the street in front of the Shikkha Bhaban, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ramna division deputy commissioner Masud Alam.
Police later fired tear gas shells to disperse them as they refused to leave the street, added Masud.
A protester, Mohib Bullah, told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· Sunday evening that the protesters would not withdraw their protest programme till their demand was met.
‘We are yet to decide our next programme. It will be announced soon,’ added Mohib.
The High Court on February 6 declared illegal and scrapped the November 20, 2024 appointment of 6,531 assistant teachers in government primary schools in Dhaka and Chattogram based on job quotas as per the 2019 recruitment rules.
The 2019 recruitment rules allow 60 per cent quota for women, 20 per cent for wards and 20 per cent for males in recruiting teachers for government primary schools.
The Directorate of Primary Education on February 13 appealed against the High Court verdict to the Appellate Division.
The Appellate Division’ chamber judge, Md Rezaul Haque, on Sunday deferred the hearing as the directorate’s lawyer Muntasir Uddin Ahmed sought an adjournment of the hearing for a day.
Lawyer Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan appeared for the job seekers.
