UP govt taking away teachers' honour after death: Priyanka

Upping the ante against the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh over the deaths of teachers and workers who were on duty during the recent panchayat polls, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday alleged that the state government did not provide proper treatment to them and also took away their honour after death.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi, who is also the in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Congress, said, "Denying the list of 1,621 teachers, who died while doing their duty during the panchayat elections, issued by the Uttar Pradesh Shikshak Sangh, an insensitive UP government is saying the number of teachers who died was only three. The teachers did not get proper safety equipment and treatment while they were alive and now the government is also taking away their honour after death."

Her attack came a day after a teachers' body claimed that over 1,600 teachers and workers of the Basic Education Department had died of Covid-19 in Uttar Pradesh since the first week of April, and 90 per cent of them were on panchayat poll duty.

As per the statement issued by Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president of the Uttar Pradesh Praathmik Shikshak Sangh, 1,621 teachers and workers of the Basic Education Department died between the first week of April and May 16.

"Of these 1,621 deaths, more than 90 per cent of the teachers were on panchayat election duty," he said.

Earlier also, Priyanka Gandhi had slammed the BJP for conducting panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic.

She had said that that what is happening in the state is nothing less than a "crime against humanity" and the State Election Commission (SEC) is just "playing along". - IANS