Seeking jobs, 4 ETT union members climb water tank in Badal village

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, September 5

Seeking government jobs, four members of the protesting ETT TET-Pass Unemployed Teachers’ Union, including a woman, on Monday climbed a water tank close to the Chief Minister’s residence at Badal village in Muktsar district.

The union is holding a protest for over 100 days at Jai Singh Wala village in neighbouring Bathinda district.

Though the police had blocked the staircase of water tank with the barbed wire, the protesters somehow managed to climb the water tank. They are carrying bottles of fuel besides a banner of the union. 

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In all, 12 members of the union had attempted to climb the water tank, but the cops present there reportedly stopped eight of them, including four women.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, additional force has been sought by the policemen who are on the VVIP duty in Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s village.

Those atop the water tank have been identified as Surinder Kumar from Patiala, Deepak Kumar from Mansa and Rakesh Kumar from Fazilka.

Speaking over the phone, Amarjit Kamboj, president, ETT TET-Pass Unemployed Teachers’ Union, said, “We are demanding a panel meeting with the CM to press for the recruitment of all 6,500 ETT teachers, who even have cleared TET between 2011 and 2015. The state government has assured us of a meeting a number of times in the past, but it never took place.”

We all are eligible for the government job, but the state government is unwilling to employ us. We will continue our protest atop the water tank until the CM holds a meeting with our panel.”

Earlier, three members of the union had climbed the same water tank on July 6. Later, they were booked by Lambi police and sent to a jail in Muktsar.