KARACHI: Police used a water cannon, tear gas and a baton charge on Sunday to prevent school principals from moving to the Home of the Chief Minister, officials and witnesses said.
Around 450 directors, including 100 women, arrived at the Karachi Press Club on Sunday morning, where they held a demonstration demanding the regularization of their services.
Protestant principals argued that hundreds of teachers had been recruited after passing a mandatory test conducted by IBA Sukkur about three years ago. They provided their services for two years and later, the government extended their contracts for another year, but their services were not regularized or confirmed.
Protesters disperse after guarantees, to meet today with the secretary of education
A police source said Dawn that the representatives of the Central Working Committee of the Sindh Directors approved by the IBA – Zakir Husain Gopang, Haji Khan Rajpar and Farooq Azam Lakho – had submitted an application to the Deputy Commissioner (South) Syed Salahuddin stating that they wanted to hold a demonstration & # 39; peaceful & # 39; outside the KPC to press for the acceptance of their demands.
They were allowed as protests / demonstrations are not prohibited outside the KPC, which is the main place of such activities.
The protesters remained there for several hours. However, around 3 p.m., the directors announced that they would go to the House of the Chief Minister to organize a protest.
The police officer said he warned teachers not to go further, since Section 144 of the code of criminal procedure had been imposed in the "red zone", in addition to being a violation of their agreement that they would restrict their protest abroad of the KPC.
Police said protesters paid no attention to such warnings and began moving toward CM House, where law enforcement officers used a water cannon, tear gas and baton charging.
The directors allegedly threw plastic water bottles and stones at the police.
"The police used the cane load and used water cannons to disperse them," South SSP Sheeraz Nazeer said.
The senior officer added that the police also arrested "some directors."
The officer said only one "principal" was injured, but when police tried to take him to the hospital in an ambulance for treatment, the other teachers put up resistance.
A police source said Dawn that 19 directors were arrested.
Dr. Seemin Jamali, executive director of the Jinnah Graduate Medical Center, told Dawn that they received five teachers to receive treatment in their emergency department.
One of them suffered head injuries, but none of them received any serious injuries.
The injured were identified as Saqib, 35, Sajid Rao, 42, Mohammed Yunus, 34, Azfar Mohammed, 40 and Ghulam Nabi, 36.
After the police action, the protesting teachers organized a sit-in on Maulana Deen Mohammed Wafai Road at the main gate of the YMCA site. As a result, vehicle traffic was diverted to adjacent roads.
Conversations held
Later in the night, protesters dispersed after successful talks with the administration and police in the southern district, South SSP Sheeraz Nazeer said.
It was agreed between protesters and officials that a meeting of teachers with the secretary of education would be organized on Monday to accept their demands. After the talks, all the teachers arrested were released, the senior officer added.
The road blocked by sitting was also unoccupied and open to traffic.
Posted on Dawn, September 16, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1505408/police-use-water-cannon-tear-gas-to-stop-headmasters-march-on-cm-house-in-karachi