PANAJI: The Panaji police on Friday arrested 84 retired teachers belonging to Discriminated Teachers’ Forum (DTF), on Friday morning, as they were heading towards the Chief Minister’s residence at Altinho in order to proceed on a hunger strike.

They were later released by the sub-divisional magistrate, Mr Anthony D’Sousa after issuing them a warning.
The North Goa Collector, Mr R Mihir Vardhan had imposed Section 144 of the CrPC a few hours before the teachers could go ahead with the
hunger strike.
The retired teachers are seeking compensation as they lost two productive years due to abrupt changing of the retiring age limit from 58 to 60.
The teachers were proceeding to the Chief Minister’s residence, in support of their demand for compensation to the tune of Rs 8 crore, for altogether 1,019 teachers, who were forced to retire at the age of 58 instead of 60 through a policy decision taken by the erstwhile Bharatiya Janata Party government in
the state.
These teachers were supposed to hold a dharna and an indefinite chain hunger strike outside the Chief Minister’s residence.  They  were arrested near the Panaji church. The retired teachers including ladies were taken into preventive custody under Section 151 of the CrPC and were taken to the police station where they were kept till late afternoon before being released by the sub-divisional magistrate, Mr Anthony D’Sousa on personal bonds but not before issuing a warning to them.
Leader of the Opposition, Mr Manohar Parrikar, who called on the striking teachers said that imposing of Section 144 was unwarranted and teachers who are senior citizens didn’t deserve to be treated like this. The act of the district collector was wrong and not acceptable.
He said that the government should try to work out a solution to the problem of the teachers and take up their matter sympathetically however, this government has no will to solve the problem of the teachers.
When asked the motive behind imposing Section 144 of the CrPC Mr Vardhan said that there could have been a law and order problem. However, when asked what kind of law and order problem would the senior teachers create and if the move was politically motivated, the collector refused to comment.
The president of the DTF, Mr Neves Rebello, later told ‘The Navhind Times’ that the agitation of the teachers would continue, in spite of their arrests by
the police.
“Now, we will hold dharnas and chain hunger strike from May 29, somewhere else in the city, or outside the CM’s residence itself,” he added.
Replying to a question as to why very few teachers participated in the agitation, Mr Rebello said that at least 600 teachers were proceeding to the capital city, in the morning, to join the agitation, but were warned about the Section 144 in force, and possibility of their arrest. “Many of them got frightened and went back, thus reducing the number of participants in the agitation,” he said, adding that these teachers however, fully support the demand of the DTF.