Candle March for Deceased Couple Amid Ex Gratia Controversy, ETEducation
Bathinda: Following a protest by teachers’ associations in Dhurkot Ransih village of Moga district rejecting the ex gratia of only Rs 10 lakh for the deceased teacher couple — who died in a road accident while they were on the way to election duty on Dec 14 , members of teacher associations in Moga’s Khote village on Monday also rejected the compensation and held a candle march.
The teacher couple, Jaskaran Singh (47) and Kamaljit Kaur (45), lived in Dhurkot Ransih, where the first candle march was held on Dec 27. Another candle march has been planned for Dec 31 at Patto Hira Singh village, where Kamaljit Kaur was posted. Jaskaran Singh was posted at Khote village.
The teachers’ associations sought Rs 2 crore compensation each, along with assurances of free education and govt jobs for the couple’s children after they attain adulthood.
Kamaljit was to join her election duty at Mari Mustafa village in Moga district, and her husband, Jaskaran Singh, went out to drop her in the car. The car plunged into a drain, and both died by drowning. The teachers association, led by the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF), demanded ex gratia compensation of Rs 2 crore, apart from the govt ensuring the studies of both the children and a written assurance that both the children were provided jobs when they completed their studies and attained adulthood.
The couple left behind a 14-year-old daughter studying in Class IX and an 11-year-old son studying in Class VI.
DTF members said the the teachers lost their lives due to a faulty road network and the posting of women teachers to election duties far from their hometowns.
‘State, local MLA indifferent to matter’
DTF state leaders expressed anger over the insensitive attitude of the state govt and area MLA Manjit Singh Bilaspur. They stated that neither the district administration nor the local MLA put in much effort to convey the family’s demands to the govt.
The leaders asserted that the struggle would continue until justice is delivered to the departed colleagues and until the govt provides due compensation.
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