Teachers protest colleague's killing, govt declares Rs 1 cr relief

A day after a government school teacher was killed by two students, hundreds of teachers gathered outside the school in West Delhi and protested against the killing, leading to traffic jam.

One of the two boys has been arrested, while other, a juvenile has been detained by the police. Summative Assessment exams at various schools were stopped as teachers gathered in large numbers to protest against the incident and demand better security for them in schools.

Mukesh Kumar, a Hindi teacher at Government Boys Senior Secondary School in Nangloi, was stabbed by two class 12 boys after an argument broke out between them. One of them was rusticated over low attendance by the school authorities.

“The boys had been rusticated for low attendance but managed to enter the school and stabbed the teacher when he came out of the classroom. They were regular miscreants and we had even reached out to their parents about their behaviour. Kumar was their class teacher and used to take steps to correct them,” said a teacher from the school.

Kumar was taken to Balaji Action Hospital, Paschim Vihar, by the vice principal of the school where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday night.

The demands of the protesting teachers included a compensation of Rs 2 crore for Kumar’s family and deployment of bouncers and beat constables of Delhi Police for ensuring teachers security of teachers.

“If they can have bouncers in hospitals and other places, why not in government schools? The security guards alone are not enough to handle such cases,” said C P Singh, President, Government School Teachers Association (GSTA).

The teachers blocked roads near to the school which caused traffic jams in the area and nearby areas such as Peeragarhi, Mundka, etc. This caused inconvenience to commuters and that traffic was diverted to other roads, a traffic police said.

Towards the evening, around 10-12 teachers were detained for protesting and were later let off. Teachers said they will continue their protest on Wednesday and all school shifts will be cancelled. In the evening, the Directorate of Education (DoE), held a meeting with the school authorities. The details of the meeting are however, not known.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, announced that the Cabinet has approved Rs one crore compensation for the family of the victim.

The government has also ordered a magistarial enquiry into the murder upon allegations that there was lapse on the part of the school authorities and the hospital.

“This is a very tragic episode and the government views it very seriously. I appeal to parents to talk to their children and make them understand that teachers are well-intentioned. It is important for the government as well as parents to restore the morale of the teachers who are shaken after this incident. Their safety concerns need to be addressed by all,” he said.