Agartala: Over 20 final year students enrolled in the Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) programme were injured after police resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the group protesting in front of Siksha Bhawan here. The teacher trainees have been demanding online conduct of examinations. Earlier, they approached the state education department controlled SCERT (State Council For Education Research and Training), but in vain.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had extended its support to the students on the issue. The ABVP said that as colleges and universities are conducting exams online for all the regular courses, these exams can also be held under the same guidelines. Last Friday, the ABVP activists gave three days ultimatum to cancel offline exams.
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However, failing to get any response from the department again, the students laid a siege to the office and raised slogans. In the evening, police and CRPF personnel resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the agitating students.
ABVP state secretary Rupam Datta said, "the police without any warning lathi-charged the agitating students. The SDPO Sadar Ramesh Yadav lost her temper and used abusive words against us. Students in uniform were beaten up. Is it what we deserve?"
Datta also raised questions on the functioning of the education department and said the whole education system has collapsed. According to Datta, more than 23 people, including women students, have been injured.
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Meanwhile, Director of School and Elementary Education Chandni Chandran said, "After discussions with the higher authorities, it was finalised that a decision will be taken only on Wednesday. But, they refused and said they needed an instant assurance".
Sources said, since the last couple of months all is not well with the department and Education minister Ratan Lal Nath, who also happens to be the cabinet spokesperson, rarely interacts with the media. Highly placed sources also revealed that a tussle between the bureaucracy and the political executive is hampering the decision-making process within the department.
