Gujarat Teachers Launch Protest Against Arrest Warrant Practice
The Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh Gujarat has taken a strong stand against what they describe as the "slavery practice" of issuing arrest warrants to teachers who miss their Booth Level Officers (BLO) duties during elections. The teachers' body unanimously passed a resolution during their executive meeting held in Chandrala, Gandhinagar district, demanding immediate cessation of this practice that they claim spreads fear among educators.
November 15: Statewide Petition Submission Day
In a significant move, teachers across Gujarat will submit petitions to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Chief Electoral Officer on November 15. Simultaneously, district-level teams will present their petitions to respective District Collectors. This coordinated action follows last week's representation to the state government where the teachers' body requested preservation of "teachers' respect in society."
The Sunday meeting of office bearers resulted in three key resolutions, with the BLO duty issue taking center stage. According to Mitesh Bhatt, president of Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh Gujarat, the resolution demands not only cancellation of the arrest warrant practice but also several other crucial reforms for teachers performing BLO responsibilities.
Comprehensive List of Teacher Demands
The teachers' body has put forward multiple demands to improve working conditions for educators serving as Booth Level Officers. Key demands include:
Providing leave to BLO-teachers during school hours instead of requiring them to perform election duties while managing classroom responsibilities.
Reducing pressure from taluka-level officials and ensuring teachers are not repeatedly assigned BLO work if they have already served once.
Assigning BLO duties in the same village where the teacher's school is located rather than based on election card addresses.
The resolution also addresses broader educational concerns, seeking exemption from non-academic work that distracts from teaching responsibilities. Other significant demands include immediate recruitment of teachers, necessary amendments to old teacher recruitment rules, and permission to convert three hundred holidays into cash benefits at retirement.
Additional requests cover gratuity payments for specific periods, proper remuneration for Class X and XII state board examination duties, and urgent recruitment of clerical staff and peons in schools to reduce administrative burden on teachers.
This movement represents growing concern among Gujarat's teaching community about protecting their professional dignity while fulfilling electoral responsibilities. The November 15 petition submission marks a crucial step in their campaign to reform the current system and ensure teachers can focus on their primary educational mission without facing legal threats for missing poll-related duties.
