Police allegedly beat up protesting teachers

DU Correspondent  :
The police have allegedly beaten up secondary level school teachers who have been holding sit-in programme demanding nationalisation of secondary education.

The teachers from all over the country have been holding a sit-in programme in front of the National Press Club since July 11 organised by Bangladesh Teachers Association.

The agitating teachers, however, alleged that the police carried out lathicharge on their peaceful assembly when they were continuing the seventh consecutive day of their protest.

“About fifty thousand of our teachers were beaten up in this peaceful sit-in program. Some of them are bleeding. Some have been taken to hospital,” Sheikh Kousar Ahmed, General Secretary to the teachers’ body said.

He alleged, “We are staging the seventh consecutive day of the protest and shouting slogans to press our demands but on such a peaceful sit-in, police beat us illegally.”

Expecting help from the police, he added that the police are our brother.

I sought their cooperation in fulfilling our demands. But instead of help, teachers are being tortured by them.

Expressing disappointment, the teachers’ leaders said, “Teachers are the backbone of the nation.

But the backbone of the nation is being beaten up on the streets. Schools are locked.

But no one from the education ministry or the administration is listening to us.”