Dehradun, February 22 Employees of the Uttarakhand education department will go on strike on Monday and Tuesday following the alleged assault of director Ajay Kumar Naudiyal by supporters of BJP MLA Umesh Sharma 'Kau', demanding his immediate arrest.
The decision to go on strike was taken at a meeting held here between officials of various teachers' unions, the Federation of Ministerial Services Association, the Employees Joint Council, the Uttarakhand Pharmacists Association, the Collectorate Union, the Diploma Engineers Union, and other employee organizations.
The meeting also decided that if the accused are not arrested within two days, all offices in the state, from the nagar panchayat to the state secretariat, will go on strike starting February 25.
After the meeting, the president of the state teachers' union, Ram Singh Chauhan, said that the meeting unanimously decided that all officers and employees of the education department would go on a complete strike on Monday and Tuesday.
He said that a decision was also taken to request the state's chief secretary to issue a special operating procedure for the safety of employees and to deploy police in all departments.
On Saturday, supporters of Sharma, the MLA from Dehradun's Raipur constituency, allegedly vandalized Naudiyal's office and assaulted him in his presence over the renaming of a school, injuring him.
Subsequently, based on Naudiyal's complaint, a case was registered against the MLA and his supporters at the Raipur police station. The MLA's supporters also filed a case against unknown individuals.
In this regard, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Pramod Singh Dobal said that the cases filed by both sides are being investigated.
Following the controversy, the state unit president, Mahendra Bhatt, said that the legislator was summoned late at night, where he presented his side of the story and expressed regret over the incident.
Bhatt stated that the MLA, along with his supporters, has publicly apologized for the incident involving the education officer, and everyone should refrain from escalating the issue.
He clarified that the party is not in favour of any kind of disturbance, anarchy, or indecent behaviour, whether by public representatives, party officials, workers, or anyone else.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Doiwala, Brijbhushan Gairola, criticised the incident, stating that such practices are not the party's policy and that everyone should express their views on the appropriate platform.
He stated that this hooliganism will not be tolerated and the law will take its course.
