Around 30 teachers were detained by police in Central Delhi’s Mandi House area as they gathered to participate in a unity march protesting issues such as NEP 2020, paper leaks, and the undermining of reservations in educational institutions.
On Teachers’ Day, various associations from central and state universities organized a joint march of students and teachers from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar.
A senior police officer stated that they were detained because they attempted to move towards the Embassy area.
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“The teachers were permitted to protest, but when they tried heading toward the Embassy area, we had to detain them. Those at Jantar Mantar were allowed to continue their protest,” the officer explained.
The teachers, under the Federation of Central University Teachers Associations (FEDCUTA), claimed they were forcibly detained as soon as they assembled to prevent their planned march from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar.
FEDCUTA President Moushumi Basu alleged, “The police told us they’d drop us at Jantar Mantar, but we were taken to Kapashera Police Station near the Gurugram border”.
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Among those detained were Basu and former presidents Nandita Narain, D.K. Lobiyal, and Rajib Ray, according to a statement from the teachers’ association.
The statement also said, “They were forcibly detained to stop the march. The actions of the Delhi Police today demonstrate an ongoing assault on Indian democracy and show the state’s disregard for education and the teaching community”.
Meanwhile, student groups from universities like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Ambedkar University, and Delhi University continued the protest at Jantar Mantar.
With placards and posters, the students raised slogans against the police action and highlighted issues such as the New Education Policy 2020, paper leaks, and the curtailing of reservations in educational institutions. (With inputs from PTI)
