Teachers of about 1500 schools in the state had assembled in front of the Assembly from different parts of the state demanding abolition of block grant mode of payment and implementation of the grant-in-aid for them, the Director General of Police (DGP) Prakash Mishra said.
The Mahatma Gandhi Marg here virtually turned into a battle field after the security forces prevented about 20,000 block grant teachers and employees from entering the prohibited zone after breaking the barricade.
Police resorted to lathi-charge, burst tear gas shells and used water canon to disperse the protesters.
Mishra said, "We used mild force to chase away the agitating teachers who tried to enter into the assembly. They broke the barricade and pelted stones on security personnel."
While about a dozen security personnel have been injured in the stone pelting by teachers, the police have information about 15 teachers receiving injuries, Mishra said.
The teachers' leader Prashanta Mohapatra, on the other hand, claimed that about 50 teachers have been injured. "About 40 teachers have been hospitalised while five of them are serious," he said.
More From This Section
Meanwhile, the teachers body decided to begin MLA gherao agitation from tomorrow and hold a massive rally here during the assembly session demanding implementation of the grant-in-aid mode of payment.
They have been protesting the State Cabinet's approval of the 6th Pay Commission's recommendations to give 60 per cent block-grant to 1,594 high schools.