28 august 2024 : Seven teachers, including two principals were Tuesday appointed as “duty magistrates” to maintain “peace and order” in Sangrur — a non-teaching job, which was later in the day reassigned to employees of other departments.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sangrur Tuesday issued an order (copy with The Indian Express), stating that seven government employees were being appointed as “duty magistrates” to maintain “peace and order” in Sangrur.
“Sangrur shehar vich aam taur tey dharney/pardarshan hundey rehende han atey manyog mukh mantri/VVIPs da vi auna jaana rehenda hai. Ess layi shehar Sangrur vich aman tey kanun di sthiti banayi rakhan layi duty magistrate tainaat keete jaande han (Several protests/agitations keep happening in Sangrur district and honorable CM/VVIPs keep visiting often. To maintain peace and law situation in the district, duty magistrates are being appointed),” reads the order.
Of seven employees assigned duties as “duty magistrates”, five are teachers including two principals.
The move was in contradiction to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s stand that teachers would only teach.
One of the teachers in the list said that in more than 15 years of service, it was the first that he has assigned such a duty. “It is a non-teaching work where teachers are expected to negotiate with protesters and ensure law and order is maintained. We are also expected to leave school work and be around deputy commissioner’s office or CM’s residence where protests usually happen and collect memorandums from the protesters.”
Another teacher said that during previous governments, employees from other departments were given this duty, not teachers. “I don’t remember doing such duty during SAD-BJP or Congress government,” he said.
Sangrur deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal, however, said: “We have withdrawn names of teachers. First we will put other employees on duty and later if required, services of teachers might be used.”
Earlier, however, Jorwal had justified the move saying Punjab government has empowered district administration to appoint employees as duty magistrates.
“Not just teachers but employees from other departments are given this duty on roster-wise if regular magistrate is unavailable. Only if any untoward situation happens or any protest escalates into a law and order situation, the employee has to go there and ensure peace.”
He said claimed there was “nothing wrong” with teachers doing this job. “They have to leave the school only if something happens,” he said.
Bikram Dev, state president, Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), however, said that usually teachers are never assigned such duties.
“The AAP government claims that teachers will only teach but no written notification in this regard has been issued which leads to such orders at district-level. Previous governments used to put teachers on duty only during elections not for routine administrative works.”
