Meghalaya teachers protest: BJP legislator demands resignation of State Home Minister

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator AL Hek on October 7 condemned the tear gas incident on October 6 and demand the step down of the Home Minister on Moral grounds.

Talking to reporters on October 7, AL Hek stated, “Applying tear gas to teachers is very inhuman. Teachers have come with a family, we have seen them with a small kid and they are doing very peaceful protests for their rights. So they were not doing anything which can harm anyone. So applying weapons against poor teachers are very very inhuman. The home minister (Lahkmen Rymnui) and the Education Minister together should step down on the moral ground”.

Replying to a question if the Meghalaya BJP will pull out if the Home Minister failed to resign, Hek deferred to answer but said to not ask this question as the decision taken from the beginning still stands.

Earlier on October 6, the Meghalaya Government Lower Primary Contractual Teachers' Association (MGLPSTA) on October 6 stormed into the state's Secretariat Building at Shillong along with their family members.

In response and to disperse the crowd, the security personnel fired tear gas, despite the presence of women and children.

Interestingly, there was no female police personnel to manage the chaos and only male personnel were deployed to manage the situation.

Chairperson State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Ïohmon Syiem has taken statements of the children and the female teachers affected by the tear gas incident earlier today. 

One of the Magistrate stated that the Chief Secretary has called the agitating teachers at 5 PM but the teachers refused to meet the government officials and continued with their agitation.

Earlier on October 1, MGLPSTA president Birbar Riangtem had said that they would sit in front of the Secretariat from that day.

''It will be the responsibility of the government if something happens to us in the secretariat,'' he added.

Commenting on the regularization of the teachers, Riangtem said that if Assam can regularise 60,000 teachers then why it can't be done in Meghalaya.