Srinagar, August 17: Police foiled a Candle Light March organized by Teachers Joint Action Committee (TJAC), here in Srinagar, and arrested top leaders including President of Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) Abdul Qayoom Wani.
A press release issued here said that about a hundred top brass leaders of TJAC organized a candle light march from press colony Srinagar to Rajbhawan under the leadership of President EJAC who is also Chairman Teachers Joint Action Committee, Ab Qayoom Wani for protesting what they called ‘ignoring 40000 SSA teachers’, Head teachers and RMSA Masters from the benefit of 7th Pay Commission.
While on their way from Press colony to Rajbhawan, a large Contingent of police foiled the march near Kothibagh police station by ‘force’ and lodged TJAC leaders in police station Kothibagh, the press release added.
Prior to the arrest, while talking to media President EJAC, Chairman Teachers Joint Action Committee Ab Qayoom Wani urged upon His Excellency, the Governor of the state N N Vohra, Honorable advisors to Governor B B Viyas, Khursheed Ahmad Ganie, Chief Secretary B.V Subramanyium, Secretary school education Rigzian Sampheal to address the issue with immediate effect.
Wani also said that they were not against the committee formed by the Govt but stressed that the formation of the committee must be exclusively for exploring options for creation of posts for 40000 teachers and linking of their salaries with State sector. Linking implementation of 7th Pay Commission with the committee was totally unacceptable to the teaching fraternity, he added.
The press release further said that TJAC had already announced its programme for indefinite hunger strike from 30th August in case Govt failed to address the issues and also threatened to explore other options of protest to ensure ‘legitimate rights’.
Wani also condemned the police action and warned that any kind of pressure tactics from the Govt. shall yield negative results and the responsibility shall lie on the shoulders of the Government alone. \
Those arrested included Ab Qayoom Wani, Mohd Akbar Khan, Riyazul Rehman, Mohd Rafiq Rather, Shah Fayaz, Harpal Singh pali,Qayoom Sanaie, Saleem Sagar, Mohd Afzal Bhat, Hatim Qayoom, Shabir Ahmad Bhat, Manzoor Ahmad Magray, Pir Nisar Ahmad,Feroz Ahmad, Feroz Ahmad Dar, Parvaiz Iqbal, Hyder Ali Khan, Iftiqar Geelani, Showkat Ali Beig, Shah Aashaq, Khadim Raza,Mohd Amin Mohd Akbar Dar, Shahnawaz Ahmad, Gh Nabi Sofi, Nazir Ahmad, Mohd Shafi Rather, Mohd Shafi Wani and others.
