ANATG-2015 to intensify stir; hunger strike from today

Our Correspondent

Kohima, Sep. 29 (EMN): Following the government’s inaction towards service regularisation of the All Nagaland Ad hoc Teachers’ Group (ANATG) batch of 2015, the protestors have decided to intensify their agitation and called for an indefinite hunger strike.

The ‘consensus’ decision of the protesting teachers came after the majority opted for hunger strike as their next mode of agitation during their meeting at Solidarity Park, Kohima, on day four of the sit-in on Thursday.

 ‘The 1166 (teachers) had a general meeting and 99% had suggested the hunger strike. Based on the views and opinions of the members, the ANATG-2015 has declared an indefinite hunger strike from Sep. 29 onwards’, Spokesperson Bendangtemsu Ozukum said.

He said the last four days were “long enough and we are very much dismayed by the attitude of the officials.

 “There will be no more negotiations. Because silent sit-in protest is the maximum patience any individual can display”, he added.

“Around 73 names to participate in the hunger strike have been collected till last evening. A lot of districts are yet to submit their names and the core committee is still identifying their names. There are also pregnant teachers, nursing mothers, and teachers with health issues who consented to join but at this moment not all 1166 will go on hunger strike”, he said.

Meanwhile, the All Nagaland School Teachers’ Association reportedly met with government officials led by the Commissioner Secretary of School Education with regard to the issue on Thursday.

Conveying the outcome of the meeting, Ozukum said that the ‘officials (government) want to help the teachers but at the same time, they also do not know how to help us’.

The central committee and core committee further expressed “utter dismay” at the attitude of the officials.