Police detain protesting extension lecturers in Panchkula

Police detained Haryana extension lecturers who had gathered in Panchkula to hold a protest march, demanding regularisation, on Monday. The lecturers, employed in various colleges of Haryana, were to hold a protest march on Gandhi Jayanti. Protesters said that they were packed in buses and dropped at far-off places by the police.

Saroj Dahiya, one of the protesters, said that their demands include regularisation, arrears from January 2016 to 2019 and state-level seniority.

Charan Singh Grover, another protesters, said that they had informed the deputy commissioner about the protest to be held in Sector 5. He said that extension lecturers, along with their families, were to gather at the protest site on Monday, and were not allowed to do so by the administration.

He added that the lecturers who evaded police, gathered in a park near Mata Mansa Devi temple and raised slogans against the government.

Grover said that around 2,000 extension lecturers, including 12,00 women, were working in Haryana. He said that they worked on an honorarium of ₹150 to ₹250 per lecture from 2010 to 2017 and supported the government.

“Now, about 40% of us cannot even fill the regular government job form as we have crossed the mandatory age limit,” said Sumer Singh, another protester.

Dahiya said that all the extension lecturers were recruited on merit after interviews and the government should fulfil their demands.

On behalf of the administration, assistant commissioner of police Ram Kumar said that a of chief principal secretary Rajesh Khullar and a delegation of the lecturers has been scheduled for October 3.