Protesting teachers arrested

Police in Andhra Pradesh arrested teachers on their way to protest demonstrations, blocked access routes to the demonstration sites, and held union leaders under house arrest.
The protest demonstration was organised on 20 January 2022 by the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Organisations (FAPTO) to protest their latest pay review, which they said amounted to a pay cut, and reductions in their rent allowance.
Police established roadblocks in several cities to intimidate and restrict protesters, making it easier for them to carry out the arrests. The president and general secretary of the teachers’ federation, K. Bhanu Murthy and P. Panduranga Varaprasad, strongly condemned the arrests, saying they were preventing them from making their voice heard. Protesting teachers were bundled into police vans and taken to police stations.
Reports also said that key leaders of the teachers’ associations were placed under house arrest in various cities.
The teachers said their protest would continue.