How Women's Day celebration turned into a nightmare to many unemployed teachers in India

New Delhi, Mar 09: While many people in India were seen celebrating International Women's Day in full swing by wishing their mother, sisters and their female friends on social media, teachers in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh had their sorrowful day.

As many as 15 aspiring teachers, who had cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and Elementary Teacher Training (ETT), were injured after Punjab Police used its force to stop them from marching towards Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's residence.

Fearing the police officials' lathicharge, three teachers allegedly jumped into Bhakra canal to save themselves. The teachers were rescued by divers.

According to reports, it is alleged that one of the protesters have fractured his leg. The injured demonstrators were admitted to Government Rajindra Hospital.

Also, it can be seen that the unemployed ETT-TET teachers have been raising their voice against the state government for months with respect to permanent jobs.

It is estimated that there are about 14,000 teachers who are unemployed even after clearing the TET and ETT.

If this is a case in Punjab, a woman guest lecturer on Sunday, shaved her head off in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh demanding regularisation of her college job.

Guest lecturer Neema Singh, is one among the several unemployed teachers who have been protesting over the past several weeks demanding that the state government provide them with permanent employment.

"To press for regularisation of our jobs among other demands, Neema, who works in a college in Katni, and eight men guest lecturers shaved off their heads. We have been on protest since the last 90 days," MP Guest Lecturers' Union president Dr Devraj Singh told reporters.

"If the state government does not accept our demands shortly, we will go to New Delhi and tonsure our heads there," he added.

However, Indian women have played a major role in protests even in Shaheen Bagh protests. This neighbourhood of the national capital is ground zero of a protests against Centre's decision on controversial citizenship law in late 2019.

With these movements by women in India, does celebrating women's day make their day better or the politicians fulfilling their promises to provide permanent employment to these unemployed teachers bring happiness, remains a question.