24-hr bandh over 11 teachers not joining duty passes off peacefully in Arunachal's West Kameng

Itanagar, Sep 24 (PTI) Normal life was thrown out of gear in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district due to a 24-hour bandh enforced by a students' body in protest against 11 teachers not joining their place of posting, which, it said, has "affected academic environment", an official said on Wednesday.

The bandh, enforced by the All West Kameng District Students' Union (AWKDSU), began at 5 am on Tuesday and ended at 5 am on Wednesday.

Bomdila police station officer-in-charge Sub Inspector H B Tator said the bandh passed off peacefully without any untoward incident.

On Tuesday, shops and business establishments remained closed across the district and government offices registered thin attendance. Vehicles -- both public and private -- remained off the roads in view of the bandh.

Students appearing for half-yearly examinations were exempted from the purview of the bandh.

The bandh was enforced in protest against 11 teachers not joining duty after being transferred to West Kameng on July 20 this year.

Of the total 12 transferred teachers, only one joined his place of posting, AWKDSU president Khambo Sakrinsow claimed.

He said the organisation deferred the bandh on September 17 following assurances from the four MLAs from the district that they would resolve the matter with the state government.

Sakrinsow expressed concern over the failure of the MLAs and the Education Department to fulfill their commitment and said that the teachers' not joining duty has hampered the learning environment for students.

Maintaining that the students' body would not relent until all the teachers join their places of posting, he warned of resorting to a 48-hour bandh soon.

On July 20 this year, the Education Department ordered the transfer and posting of 203 teachers. However, many teachers were unwilling to leave their current places of posting, with some of them resorting to producing medical certificates and citing joint posting of spouses and children's education as an excuse.

In a parallel development, the Education Department, in partial modification of its order, has retained 45 teachers (outside the purview of the medical board).

The teachers have been retained on various grounds such as child education, joint posting of spouses, on the verge of retirement, multiple transfers within six months, among others.

The teachers whose representations have not been accepted shall stand released with immediate effect, Education Commissioner Amjad Tak said in the order.

He directed the deputy directors of school education (DDSEs) in the districts to submit compliance reports, along with copies of release orders, within a week.

The official said a separate order will be issued by the department in respect of teachers whose representations on medical grounds have been forwarded to a medical board, based on the findings and recommendations of the board.

The order also directed DDSEs to release those teachers who have been retained till April 14, 2026, owing to children's education, positively on April 15, 2026 and submit compliance reports. PTI CORR ACD