Punjab: Teachers’ unions have rejected the Rs 20 lakh compensation offer.

Punjab: Teachers’ unions in Moga and across the state have protested the state government’s decision to provide ₹20 lakh in compensation to the family of a teacher couple who died while on election duty, calling it “inadequate and a cruel joke.” Jaskaran Singh Bhullar and his wife Kamaljit Kaur died on December 14 when their car fell into a canal near Moga due to dense fog. Bhullar was dropping his wife off for election duty. The couple leaves behind two young children. The state government has provided them with financial assistance of ₹10 lakh each. Teachers’ organizations said the compensation announced by the government is far too little to secure the future of the orphaned children. They demanded compensation of ₹2 crore per child, full funding for their education, and a government job for each child upon reaching adulthood.
The unions alleged that the accident was a result of administrative negligence on the part of the district administration and the State Election Commission. They said that despite repeated demands for local duty assignments, teachers, especially women, were deployed to far-flung polling stations without proper accommodation or security arrangements, forcing them to travel in dangerous conditions amidst fog warnings. They pointed out that on the same day, a female teacher in Sangrur district was seriously injured while traveling for election duty and is still undergoing treatment. The teachers’ organizations have threatened to launch protests across Punjab and intensify their agitation through physical meetings and statewide action if their demands are not met.