Retrenched 10323 teachers held protest with mortal remains of dead colleague
One of the terminated 10,323 teachers in Tripura died on Monday morning at his residence at Nayaniamura in Agartala and his colleagues - agitating 10323 teachers held stir and a march to the State Education Directorate with his moratl remains seeking justice.
The deceased retrenched teacher was identified as Ajit Sutradhar. With this death the total tally rose up to 84, so far, claimed agitating teachers who are on the 50th day of indefinite sit-in demo protests.
Shocked at death of another their another colleague, the agitating teachers seeking a permanent solution to their plight as they lost their jobs after an Apex Court verdict, brought the mortal remains of their deceased colleague at the place of agitation in Agartala City Center. They raised slogans and sat on the road with the body demanding justice for Sutradhar. The protestors alleged Sutradhar failed to tolerate the mental trauma of losing job and succumbed after a heart attack.
Sources said Sutradhar was completely fine but all of a sudden he collapsed while he was in his bathroom and later doctors confirmed that it was a heart attack. The agitating teachers, however, attributed the heart attack to the serious mental trauma he was undergoing after being retrenched from services.
The teachers not only staged a sit in stir in front of City Centre with the body but also brought the mortal remains of Sutradhar to the directorate of Education. Raising slogans, the teachers demanded justice for them and the family of all those 84 teachers who had died so far after losing jobs.
Speaking on the issue, Dalia Das, leader of the Joint Movement Committee that was spearheading the 10,323 movement, dubbed the ruling government "inhuman" and asked as to when this government would think softly for the agitating teachers.
"You all are witnessing as to how a colleague of ours is lying there. He died in the morning. He was completely fine but the mental trauma he was undergoing was killing him steadily. The reason for the heart attack was his retrenchment, nothing else", Das pointed out.
Accusing the government, she said, this government's most inhuman face is before all. The teachers are fighting for their lives in streets for the last 50 days and the government does not even show the necessity of holding a talk once, Das lamented.
"How many dead bodies do they (the government) want to see?" Das asked and referred to the promises made in the vision document and 10,323's contribution in bringing this government in power. She said, "We want to ask when their hearts will melt for us", said Das.