Breaking: Teachers, employees hold massive rally near Satoj village, demand restoration of Old Pension Scheme; Watch Video
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, August 23, 2026: Thousands of teachers and government employees from across Punjab gathered in a massive rally at Satoj, the native village of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Saturday, demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and the fulfilment of several other pending demands.
The rally was organised under the banner of the Old Pension Restoration Front and saw participation from teachers and employees representing various districts of the state.
The protest also witnessed allegations of police action against employees attempting to reach the rally venue. Union leaders alleged that police used force, including batons, to stop teachers and employees from proceeding towards Sattoaj and also used water cannons against the protesters.
Despite the alleged police action, a large number of protesters managed to assemble and hold the rally.
Democratic Teachers’ Front Punjab state president Digvijay Pal Sharma said teachers and employees from Faridkot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Moga, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot, among other districts, participated in the protest.
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The employee organisations said that despite repeated assurances by the Punjab Government, several key demands remain unresolved. These include the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, release of the pending 18 per cent dearness allowance, withdrawal of what they described as anti-employee orders, restoration of 37 allowances including the rural allowance, regularisation of contractual employees and release of pending dues related to the Pay Commission.
The protesters said the government had repeatedly made promises regarding the resolution of employees’ issues, but many of these demands were yet to be addressed.
Union leaders warned that if the government failed to resolve the pending issues at the earliest, the employee and teacher organisations would further intensify their agitation across Punjab.