Several teachers booked for demonstrating against Rajasthan education minister in Kota

Police have booked several teachers in Kota for allegedly taking out an unauthorized demonstration march against Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar.

Police have booked several teachers in Kota for allegedly taking out a demonstration march against Rajasthan Education and Panchayatiraj Minister Madan Dilawar without permission, officials said on Sunday.

The demonstrators allegedly carried out the minister's funeral and later burnt his effigy, raising slogans against him on May 18 in Ramganjmandi town, also the minister's constituency area, they said.

Notably, a large number of teachers, led by members of Siyaram, a teachers' association, took out a protest march against the minister's decision to scrap 10 days of summer vacation, mandating teachers to join schools on June 21, which was later amended to June 28, they said.

In his report, filed on Saturday, state president of Panchyati Raj Sadasya Sangh, Narangi Meena, alleged that the association's patron, Siyaram Sharma, led the demonstration against the education minister.

The association's State President Virendra Sharma, General Secretary Ramdayal Meena, Treasurer Hament Kumar Jangid, along with state, district and block level officials and teachers participated in the demonstration, he further alleged.

He said that the demonstration was carried out without obtaining prior permission, and they used ''abusive language'' against the minister, calling him a ''thief''.

A police official pleading anonymity confirmed that a case has been registered against several government school teachers under Section 189 of the BNS based on Meena's report.

Meanwhile, the association's patron, Sharma, claimed that nearly 3,000 teachers from across the state participated in the demonstration after obtaining prior permission in this regard and that was the reason the ''police escorted the march''.

Refuting the allegation, Sharma justified the use of the word 'thief' in the slogans by claiming that ''the education minister had stolen their budget, benefits and holidays''.

Besides, the Education Department constituted an internal probe committee, comprising chief district education officers (CDEOs) of Kota and Baran, the district education officer and the chief block education officer, to investigate the teachers' motive behind the demonstration and the basis of the memorandum they had submitted to authorities.

Baran CDEO Gaindalal Regar said he didn't receive the order copy for his inclusion in the probe committee. However, Kota Secondary Education Joint Director Asha Mandawat, on Saturday evening, informed him of the fresh assignment as a member of the probe committee and he would take up the work in Kota on Monday.