Police charge baton to disperse teachers
NN Online:
Police have dispersed protesting teachers who had blocked the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka. The incident occurred on Monday (February 10) at around 1:45 PM when law enforcement intervened to clear the protest.
Earlier, at approximately 1:20 PM, registered job-seeking teachers under the Non-Government Teachers’ Registration and Certification Authority (NTRCA) and recommended primary teachers staged a road blockade at Shahbagh. The demonstrators raised slogans against the cancellation of their recruitment and demanded immediate appointments.
As vehicular movement came to a halt due to the protest, police used baton charges to disperse the demonstrators. The sound of grenades being deployed was also heard at the scene. Following the dispersal, limited traffic resumed at around 1:45 PM.
During the sit-in, the recommended teachers expressed their grievances, stating, “The court ruling that canceled our recruitment is discriminatory. The same government that recommended us for appointment has now invalidated our recruitment. This is an act of betrayal. We demand the immediate reversal of this decision and the finalization of our recruitment.”
One of the protesters, Sabbir Sadeq, said, “We will not leave until our demands are met. We have been informed that the hearing on the ruling will be held within this week. However, we do not accept that timeline. A special court must be convened today itself to resolve this matter, or else we will continue our protest on the streets.”
Earlier, on Thursday (February 6), the High Court annulled the recruitment of 6,531 candidates who had passed the final selection in the third phase for assistant teacher positions in government primary schools in Dhaka and Chattogram divisions. The court, led by Justices Fatema Najib and Shikdar Mahmudur Razi, ordered fresh recruitment based on merit.
Previously, on November 19 last year, the High Court had placed a six-month stay on the recruitment of these 6,531 assistant teachers.