Teachers court arrest

CHANDIGARH, Feb 15: Several members of the Punjab State Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union from eight districts of Punjab courted arrest at the Housing Board roundabout this afternoon.

The teachers, who were on a mass casual leave, tore and burnt the 1997 manifesto of the Shiromani Akali Dal, “as a mark of protest against the non-fulfilment of the assurances given to the teaching community before the assembly elections”, Union general secretary Manohar Lal Chopra said. At a rally at the Parade Grounds that preceded the arrests, various teachers condemned the Punjab government for meting out “step-motherly treatment to the aided school staff”.