Police disperse protesting teacher candidates with batons and water cannons

Law enforcement officers used batons and deployed water cannons to disperse assistant teacher candidates protesting against a recent High Court ruling that annulled their appointments in government primary schools. 

The confrontation took place near the chief adviser's official residence, State Guest House Jamuna.

According to reports from the scene, police initially intervened in the morning, using force to break up the demonstration. Later, around 3:30 PM, officers again resorted to baton charges, although water cannons, which were brought to the site, were not used during the second intervention. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam declined to comment on the incident.

The protests erupted after the High Court invalidated the appointment of 6,531 assistant teachers in primary schools across Dhaka and Chattogram divisions. The ruling was issued by a bench comprising Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Shikdar Mahmudur Raji. The court ordered authorities to initiate a fresh recruitment process based on merit.

The recruitment process had been carried out in three phases, with the final results announced on October 31, 2024. However, 30 unsuccessful candidates challenged the process in court, arguing that the quota system applied in the hiring procedure contradicted a government order abolishing all previous quotas. The High Court, after an initial hearing on November 19, 2024, suspended the recruitment process for six months and later ruled the process invalid.

The court determined that the recruitment had violated a government order issued on July 23, 2023, which had abolished all previous quotas. However, the recruitment followed the 2019 Primary School Teacher Recruitment Rules, which allocated 60% of positions to women, 20% to dependents, and 4% to other specific categories.

Following the verdict, the affected candidates staged protests outside the High Court premises. A Supreme Court lawyer attempted to calm the demonstrators and urged them to leave the premises peacefully. Eventually, the protesters moved their demonstration to a different location, where police later intervened to disperse the gathering.

The Directorate of Primary Education had submitted a leave-to-appeal with the Appellate Division, challenging the High Court's suspension of the recruitment process. However, the Supreme Court upheld the order and instructed that the matter be resolved by January 25.

The police intervention has sparked concerns among the affected candidates, many of whom demand immediate reconsideration of the verdict or alternative employment solutions.