Agartala (Tripura): A day after '10,323 teachers' took a pledge to intensify their protest and stick to their demands until the state government comes up with a permanent solution through alternative jobs, the administration dismantled the makeshift set-up where the teachers were agitating, here on Wednesday.
The West Tripura district administration promulgated Section 144 of the CrPc and dismantled the makeshift set up where the teachers were agitating in front of Agartala City Centre today.
A section of the teachers who were present at the agitation site in the morning had also been taken under custody and shifted to an undisclosed location.
Rattled by the sudden police intervention on the 52nd day of the sit-in stir, the teachers held a road blockade demanding the release of the detained teachers and their family members.
As per video footage, a large number of TSR Jawans cordoned off the agitation site in the morning. The security personnel then detained the teachers, children, and other family members present at the site and shifted them.
Reacting to the development, a police official said, "If someone becomes a threat to the law and order situation and tries to incite violence and arson, the police have to take some steps. We have taken all the steps to ensure that no one gets hurt or injured while carrying out the operation, but if they apply force we have to at least apply reasonable force."
Read: Sacked teachers protest with body of colleague
Replying to a query, the police official also added that altogether 100 people had been taken under custody, but denied to disclose any information regarding the location where they were kept. Meanwhile, a sizable number of teachers rushed to the spot and started agitating. They first protested in front of the city centre then moved in front of the Chief Minister's official residence.
The teachers raised slogans against the government and branded the police act as 'inhuman'.
"The degree of inhuman treatment to us can be gauged by today's police act. The police have shifted the teachers, children and other family members from the spot of agitation. The act of police has evidently proved their cowardice. The state government is trying to snatch our right to live," said one of the agitating teachers.
As many as 10,323 school teachers had lost their jobs after the Tripura High Court in 2014 said their recruitment process was faulty and the Supreme Court in 2017 upheld the order.
The teachers were recruited since 2010 during the Left Front rule.
Read: Agitating teachers in Tripura intensify stir, block road
