ETT teachers detained during Chandigarh protest outside Minister Harpal Cheema’s residence
Teachers allege police excesses, demand action over 180-teacher recruitment dispute
Ashok Verma
Chandigarh, August 22, 2026: Tension prevailed outside the official residence of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in Chandigarh on Saturday when protesting ETT teachers were detained by Chandigarh Police during a demonstration over their long-pending service-related demands.
The teachers had gathered outside the minister’s residence to press for action against an Education Department clerk whom they accused of irregularities in the case involving 180 ETT teachers. The protesters also demanded that the affected teachers be brought under the Punjab pay scale instead of the Central pay scale.
According to teacher leaders, the police attempted to disperse the protesters after they began raising slogans against the Punjab Government. As the protest continued, a large police contingent reached the spot and attempted to remove the teachers from the area.
The protesters alleged that police personnel used force while detaining them. They claimed that several teachers were dragged and pushed into police vehicles during the operation.
Teacher leaders also alleged that turbans of some protesters, including teacher Sohan Singh, were dislodged during the scuffle. They further claimed that a woman teacher and other female protesters were dragged along the road by women police personnel.
The protest also involved family members, and a child accompanying one of the teachers was reportedly frightened during the police action.
The police action followed repeated attempts by officers to persuade the protesters to leave the area. However, the teachers continued raising slogans and refused to end the demonstration, leading to a confrontation between the two sides.
Teachers demand resolution of 180-teacher issue
The protesting teachers said they had been fighting for their demands for around four-and-a-half years and accused successive governments of failing to resolve the issue.
Kamal Thakur, state president of the ETT TET Pass Teachers Union Jai Singh Wala, said the government should address what the teachers described as the injustice faced by the 180 teachers and resolve their demand for implementation of the Punjab pay scale.
The teachers also demanded strict action, including suspension, against the Education Department clerk whom they alleged had committed irregularities in the case.
They reminded the government of commitments made by AAP leaders before the 2022 Assembly elections and said the issue remained unresolved despite the change in government.
Dispute dates back to 2016 recruitment
According to the teachers, ETT teachers were recruited in 2016 during the then SAD-BJP government. They claimed that the services of 180 teachers from the recruitment were subsequently affected and that the Central pay scale was imposed on them.
The teachers said they continued their struggle during the previous Congress government and have now been protesting against the AAP government.
They also referred to an incident on November 27, 2021, when a teacher climbed a mobile tower at the MLA Hostel carrying a petrol bottle during the Congress government’s tenure. The teachers said then Leader of Opposition and now Finance Minister Harpal Cheema had assured them that their grievances would be addressed if the AAP government came to power.
The protesters alleged that the assurance has not been fulfilled.
‘Struggle will continue’
The teachers said they were particularly concerned that they were being forced to protest despite the government’s focus on strengthening the government school system.
They appealed to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to meet the affected teachers and resolve their demand instead of allowing the matter to continue.
The protesters warned that their agitation against the Finance Minister and the Punjab Government would continue until their demands were accepted.
The teachers also said the issue would remain a political concern ahead of the next Assembly elections, alleging that the government would have to face the consequences of what they described as a breach of its promises.