Advisor Bidhan says teachers leading protests responsible for police using sound grenades

Those who called this “irrational” movement and “misled” teachers are responsible for creating such a situation, he says

Primary and Mass Education Advisor Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar has expressed sorrow over the death of assistant teacher Fatema Akter, who fell ill after police fired sound grenades during a teachers’ protest.

On Tuesday, he pledged support for her family but insisted that responsibility for the confrontation lay with the leaders who organised what he termed an “irrational” movement.

He said, “She was a member of our family, and we will try to support her family.”

Fatema, an assistant teacher at Jhinaiya Government Primary School in Matlab Uttar, Chandpur, died in a Dhaka hospital on Sunday.

Teachers leading the movement claim three teachers became ill when police fired sound grenades during their Nov 8 protest demanding three reforms, including upgrading salaries to the 10th grade.

Teachers had begun a continuous sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar.

Later that afternoon, while marching towards Shahbagh for a “pen-down” protest, they were blocked by police. The protest collapsed as police used sound grenades, water cannon, batons and tear gas, injuring more than 150 teachers and detaining five.

Pressed by reporters on the incident, Bidhan blamed the organisers.

“They said they would protest at the Shaheed Minar, but they tried to breach police barricades and march towards [State Guest House] Jamuna. Those who called this irrational movement have misled teachers and brought them into unnecessary confrontation.”

He said nine mainstream teacher organisations had refused to join the protest after discussions with the ministry.

He added that the process to upgrade assistant teachers from the 13th to the 11th grade was already under way, with recommendations sent to the finance ministry and the Pay Commission.

Calling the demand for 10th-grade pay “unrealistic”, he said even the upgrade of head teachers to the 10th grade was still in process. Court orders had granted 45 head teachers the 10th grade, but the ministry was working to extend it to all -- more than 65,000 head teachers nationwide.