Imphal, August 30: Police resorted to firing tear gas shells and mockery bombs to disperse a large number of agitating teachers who were coming to court arrest near the Wahengbam Leikai Yumjao Lairembi community hall today.

Continuing their agitation against denial of salary for the past four months, around one thousand teachers converged at the Wahengbam Leikai community hall since 10.30 am today.

When they learnt that their representatives who had gone to meet Education Minister Francis Ngajokpa have been denied an audience with the Minister despite the latter having invited them, the infuriated teachers started making preparation for taking out a protest rally till Keishampat junction.

The police dissuaded them from taking out the procession and this infuriated the teachers all the more who challenged to be arrested like yesterday.

While the police were arranging transportation of the teachers, some of them started shouting slogans and commenced the rally.

This prompted the police personnel to fire tear gas shells and mockery bombs in a bid to disperse the teachers.

Undaunted by the police action, some of the teachers continued to shout slogans demanding suspension of the Education (S) Director.

They were arrested by the police and took them away in the police van waiting nearby.

After the situation calm down, the dispersed teachers converged at the Wahengbam Leikai community hall once more to discus the further course of action to be taken up.

In the meantime, the Additional SP of Imphal West also soon arrived at the spot and requested the agitating teachers to leave the area as it is a silence zone.

Instead the teacher went ahead with a meeting.

Addressing the meeting AMSSTA general secretary Th Ibopishak strongly condemned the police action on the agitating teachers as �inhuman� and �unculture act�.

AMESTA general secretary H Brojen also denounced the action of the police and dared to court arrest them.

Finally, an understanding was arrived at between the agitating teachers and the police personnel following which all the teachers where transported in police vehicles and dropped them at Imphal Pologround for court arresting them.

As a pre-emptive measure to avoid any untoward incident, escort party of DIG Range-I was deployed near the Keishampat bridge with the two water cannon vehicles in tow.

Under the joint banner of Joint Action Committee for the Welfare of Govt Teachers, the members of All Manipur Elementary School Teachers� Association (AMESTA) and All Manipur Secondary School Teachers� Assn (AMSSTA) Zone-I, Imphal West have been carrying out the court arrest agitation for the second consecutive day today.

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