Huge crowd at sacked PTIs’ protest in Jind

Deepender Deswal
Tribune News Service
Jind, July 18

Thousands of former Physical Training Instructors (PTIs) gathered for a meeting here to protest their dismissal from service, a development that comes as Haryana grapples with the rising number of Covid cases.

Sources estimated that some 7,000-8,000 people had gathered at the protest site three months after the Supreme Court upheld the Punjab and Haryana High Court's order to cancel the appointment of 1,983 PTIs who were hired in 2010.

'No permission taken from District admn'

The event organisers had not taken permission from the district administration. We are keeping a watch on it. — Manoj Ahlawat, Duty Magistrate

The protest got the support of khap panchayats as well as two Independent Members of the Legislative Assembly in the state — Mehram's Balraj Kundu and Dadri's Sombir Sangwan, who is also the 'pradhan' of Sangwan khap.

Sarv khap's national president Nafe Singh Nain said that khap panchayats would now spearhead the protest and warned that if the state government doesn't reinstate the PTIs, khaps would launch a protest after July 25.

Dadri MLA Sombir Sangwan said that he would meet Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar within a week to demand relief for the dismissed PTIs. "I will go by the decision of the sarv khap panchayats on the issue. If the situation demands, I shall even resign from the Assembly to get justice for the agitating PTIs," he said.

"This is injustice with these PTIs and the government is bent on ruining their families instead of providing relief to them. If the government fails to take note of their misery, the Baroda bypoll will push the government to the edge," said Meham MLA Balraj Kundu.

Meanwhile, such a large gathering meant that little regard was paid to the social distancing protocol, although many of those present were seen wearing masks.

Manoj Ahlawat, Duty Magistrate at the spot, said the event organisers had not taken permission from the district administration. "We are keeping a watch on it," he added.

In April, the Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and Navin Sinha, in the judgment pronounced through video conferencing, upheld the verdicts passed by the single and division Benches of the High Court quashing the appointment process conducted during the Congress government led by BS Hooda in 2010. It also asked the state Staff Selection Commission to conduct the recruitment process afresh and said the process must be completed within five months.

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