Punjab Cong criticises attack on teachers

Kapurthala, Sep 6 (UNI) The Punjab Congress today condemned the 'attack' by police on the unemployed teachers in the town yesterday and said the incident was highly punishable particularly on the day reserved to honour the teaching fraternity with awards. ''The way teachers were 'lathi charged,' physically man handled and even the handicapped were not spared, speaks volumes of the disregard that the Akalis have for human rights and peaceful demonstrations'', Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira said in a statement here today.

Mr Khaira sought to remind Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) acting president Sukhbir Badal of the hue and cry that he had raised over a similar incident at Ludhiana last year during the tenure of Capt Amarinder Singh.

Last year's incident pertained to the man handling of girl students at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) during a protest at a function of Capt Singh, the then chief minister of Punjab.

He pointed out that it was junior Badal who had promised jobs to the same unemployed teachers once the Akalis were voted to power.

Referring to the presence of junior Badal and his mother Mrs Surinder Kaur Badal at yesterday's state level Teacher's Day function here, Mr Khaira pointed out that they had no official authority to preside over the function. That was sheer display of extra constitutional authority by Sukhbir Badal, he added.

Mr Khaira demanded an unconditional apology from the SAD leader and a magisterial inquiry to fix the responsibility on the police officers involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, Punjab Pradesh Congress president Shamsher Singh Dullo criticised the massive increase in the fee structure of MBBS and BDS seats in the state.

He demanded that the fee structure should be reviewed immediately as poor students were unable to pay such exuberant fees to avail seats for the courses.

UNI