‘Unnecessary harassment’: Samrala SDM recommends FIRs against teachers for missing poll rehearsal but many already on duty

Calling the recommendation of FIRs a “shameful step”, the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) has demanded “immediate rollback of the order” and said that teachers “were already burdened under non-teaching works by Punjab government”.

In his complaint to Samrala DSP Tarlochan Singh, SDM Rajneesh Arora said the 49 employees named in the list “should be booked immediately and FIRs registered against them” for missing the poll duty rehearsal.

“The employees…were assigned duties by the Ludhiana District Election Office for the smooth conduct of the elections, but they remained absent from the rehearsals held Thursday. The work was adversely affected due to their absenteeism. They should be booked immediately, and FIRs should be registered against them under Section 120 (breach of official duty in connection with election) of the Punjab State Election Commission Act, 1994,” wrote the SDM.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Arora said, “Action will be taken against the employees who remained absent from duty as per the prescribed rules of the Election Commission. These employees will be given one chance to mark their attendance for the duty (Friday)”.

“We will be dispatching poll parties (Saturday), and those who will be absent again will be booked,” added SDM Arora.

DSP Singh said they have received the complaint from the SDM. “First, the employees will be asked for an explanation, and then action will be taken accordingly,” he added.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Harjinder Kaur, an elementary teacher whose name has been recommended for the FIR, said: “I have been transferred from Ludhiana to Patiala district, and I am already on poll duty in Nabha. I attended both rehearsals in Nabha. I am still being harassed by Samrala authorities. I am getting calls from police to explain my absence in Samrala. How can I be on same duty in two districts?”

Navpreet Kaur, another elementary teacher who name is in the list said: “I have been transferred to Fatehgarh Sahib and I am fulfilling my duty here. I have attended both rehearsals but still got a notice for absence in Ludhiana. I travelled all the way to Samrala SDM office to explain this but again my name has been recommended for FIR. This is nothing but unnecessary harassment”.

The DTF said that similarly Gurmeet Singh, also an elementary teacher, has been transferred from Ludhiana to Patiala, and Kulwinder Kaur from Ludhiana to Mansa, but still their names have been put on “absentee list” and FIRs recommended against them.

Sunita Rani, a Hindi teacher said: “My mother-in-law is bedridden so I could not attend rehearsals. This is no way to directly recommend our name for FIR.”

Rupinder Pal Singh Gill, general secretary, DTF Ludhiana, said: “The burden of non-teaching works on teachers in Punjab is already too much. The Punjab government, which claims to have brought “Sikhya Kranti” (education revolution), is taking all kinds of non-teaching work from teachers. Except teaching, teachers are made to do everything. The election duty of thousands of woman teachers was assigned at distance of 100 km from their homes. Not only have they been harassed a lot, school education has been completely stopped. Teachers already working as booth level officers (BLOs) for SIR are now being forced to do double duty. We demand that the order to register FIRs against teachers be withdrawn immediately and this harassment should stop.”

Contacted, Ludhiana deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer Himanshu Jain said: “I have sought details from Samrala SDM regarding each employee against whom he has recommended FIR. Action will be taken only after seeking explanation from absent employees.”

The issue of teachers, especially women, deployed on poll duty in the Punjab zila parishad polls snowballed after they alleged they were assigned far-flung stations, up to 80-110 km from their posting stations. For instance, teachers posted in Samrala and Khanna have been allotted poll duties in Raikot and Jagraon, at the other end of the district, and vice versa, without any arrangements for conveyance or overnight stay.

Nearly 1 lakh, or 80 per cent, of teachers are on zila parishad poll duty across the state, leaving government schools empty for the past week. As many as 30 teachers, including those for main subjects such as maths, science, commerce etc, from a single school are on poll duty.

The polling for the Punjab zila parishad and panchayat samiti is scheduled for December 14.