10 injured in teachers-police clash

Seven cops were among ten people injured in a clash between primary school teachers and police who used mild force to prevent them from heading towards the Uttarakhand Assembly, prompting the state government to order a judicial probe into the incident.

The trouble erupted when contractual primary school teachers, also called shikshamitras, broke the barricades and tried to march towards the Legislative Assembly, IGP (Law and Order) Ramsingh Meena said.

The shikshamitras are demanding among other things a hike in their remuneration from Rs 10000 to Rs 22000 and exemption from a mandatory eligibility test for confirmation.

When the contractual teachers, who had threatened not to allow MLAs to enter the House, were prevented from marching towards the Assembly they jumped over the barricades and even broke them forcing police to use water canons to disperse them, Meena said.

This did not help in restoring calm and the agitators began hurling stones at police who swung batons to disperse them.

Seven policemen and three teachers were injured in the clash, the IGP said.

Opposition BJP raised the issue in the state Assembly terming the incident a "callous act of coercion" by the authorities.

The state government ordered a judicial probe into the incident.