Tripura: 10,323 teachers form one-kilometre-long human chain, demands reinstatement

The retrenched teachers of Tripura are continuing with their fight for justice. As many as 10,323 teachers formed a more than one-kilometre-long human chain in Agartala demanding they be reinstated in their jobs.

The human chain started from the status of Mahatma Gandhi in the Circuit House area and continued up to the North Gate area.

The participating retrenched teachers came together under the banner, Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Friday and urged Chief Minister Manik Saha and his cabinet to take immediate steps towards resolving their issue. The retrenched teachers also asked the state government to keep the pre-2018 assembly election promise to deal with their matter on humanitarian grounds and give their jobs back.

The sacked teachers alleged that following the recent meeting between the state government and the legal experts on the issue, no further discussion or development in the matter was carried out.
The retrenched teachers set forth three demands — either they be served individual notices mentioning why they are being terminated, or a termination letter be provided to every individual or be allowed to attend school.

The teachers have alleged that they have not got their salaries for 38 months. The aggrieved teachers claimed that at least 149 teachers have lost their lives due to the trauma of losing jobs, while several of them committed suicide.

The 10,323 teachers lost their jobs following an order from the High Court of Tripura after finding the recruitment process faulty. Following this, the state government appealed to the Supreme Court of India, however, the order was upheld.

The sacked teachers alleged that due to the misinterpretation of the apex court order by the then director of education, who issued a common notification for the termination of all 10,323 teachers on 23 December 2017, the teachers lost their job.