Teachers seek pay hike, get into scuffle with cops

Kolkata: Some computer teachers, including women, working for state and state-aided schools, were allegedly injured in a clash with the police at Minto Park in

south Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon.

These teachers were agitating and had come to submit a deputation demanding an increase in their salaries when the incident took place.

The police also resorted to mild lathi-charge to disperse the agitators after traffic flow was partially suspended because of the gathering.

"We are entitled to receive a salary of more than

Rs 3,49,356 annually. But, at present, we are getting a little more than Rs 55,000 a year. We had held a meeting with top officials of the state

government at Nabanna in

January where we were informed that the agency which has been entrusted with the responsibility of

recruiting us and giving us

salary is paying less than what we are entitled to," said Swarup Pan, general secretary of West Bengal ICT School Coordinator Welfare Association.

These computer teachers are working under the ICT scheme of the state govern-

ment and Webel is the nodal agency for the project. The state govern-

ment has entrusted a private agency whose office is located at Minto Park for implementation of the project.

They claimed that initially when the project started in February 2013 they received a salary of Rs 3,000 a month which was hiked to only

Rs 4,934 a month recently

The agitators had assembled in front of the agency's office and while they tried to enter inside they were prevented by the police. They alleged that the police lathi-charged and some of the teachers leaving them injured.

A senior police official said the police tried to push them back when they forcibly tried to enter the office.

"The agitators retaliated and eight of our officials were injured."

A senior official of the agency, however, claimed that they are compliant with all the conditions of the contract with the state government.

The agitators in the evening sat on demonstration in front of the residence of state

Education minister Partha Chatterjee demanding his intervention.