Dozens of protesting teachers were injured, some of them seriously when heavy contingents of police on Tuesday resorted to teargas shelling, baton charge and aerial firing to them from marching towards Sindh Chief Minister House in protest against ban imposed on their unions.
Primary, secondary, college and University teachers had gathered from all over Sindh including Karachi at Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday to protest against ban imposed by the Sindh Education Department on their associations and to take out protest rally to Sindh House.
Police also arrested 100-150 of them from Bagh-e-Jinnah, Pearl Continental Hotel's parking lot and in front of Artillery Maidan Police Station and took them to different police stations of Saddar and Clifton towns.
Several teachers, political leaders including leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly, Nisar Khuhro, Nihal Hashmi Advocate and others also addressed the protesting teachers and condemned the ban imposed by the provincial government on their associations.
After holding protest demo in front of KPC against the education department and provincial government, protesting teachers started their march towards Sindh CM house at around 12:30 pm but when they reached Arts Council round about, police started shelling teargas and baton charge to disperse protestors.
They were carrying banners, placards inscribed with demands to lift ban on teachers' associations, give them right to present charter of demands, reinstatement of their sacked colleagues and removal of Sindh Education Minister, Dr Hamida Khuhro and Secretary, Ghulam Ali Pasha. However, protesting teachers managed to reach in front of Bagh-e-Jinnah (Polo Ground) and tried to continue their march but additional contingents of police intercepted them and used teargas, baton charge and aerial firing to disperse the agitators.
A large number of protesting teachers entered into Bagh-e-Jinnah and tried o reach CM House but police chased them while others encircled the park and fired teargas inside the park. Several teachers sustained injuries due to baton charge while several fainted due to teargas, who were taken into custody by the police.
The number of teachers arrested by the police could not be ascertained immediately but around 100-150 were transported to different police stations of Saddar and Clifton Towns police stations in police mobile vans.
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