CHENNAI: PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday condemned the police action against protesting secondary grade teachers. He alleged that the DMK government has unleashed “brutal repression” on the teachers who have been agitating in Chennai for the eighth consecutive day, demanding ‘equal pay for equal work’.
In a statement, Anbumani said teachers were being detained en masse every day, and accused the government of harassing educators who were seeking justice through democratic means. He claimed that during Wednesday’s protest, several teachers were subjected to physical assault by the police, calling it “inhuman and unacceptable”.
Referring to a video that has since gone viral online, Anbumani alleged that William, president of the Kallakurichi District Teachers’ Association, was forcibly lifted and thrown into a police bus by a senior police officer, who also slapped him in public view. He said the incident reflected the high-handedness of the police machinery.
The PMK leader also cited allegations that Janakiraman, a teacher from Pudukkottai district, suffered a fractured arm during police action. “Such acts of repression cannot be forgiven, nor can protests be silenced through force,” he said.
Anbumani further alleged that woman teachers were being treated without dignity during arrests, and demanded that the state government initiate legal action against police personnel involved in the alleged excesses.