KATHMANDU, March 4: The main opposition Nepali Congress has condemned the police intervention during the 'peaceful demonstration' staged by the teachers working under the relief quotas in the capital on Monday.

In a press statement, the NC headquarters condemned the use of force and mistreatment by the police against the women teachers during the protest launched by the teachers working under the relief quotas dubbing it 'inhuman'.  

"The incumbent government has been curtailing the people's fundamental rights to stage protests peacefully and this incident has exposed the government's authoritarian characteristics," the NC said in the statement.

The party has also demanded the government to address the concerns raised by the teachers while wishing speedy recovery for those injured in today's protest.

Police arrested four teachers under the government relief quota during a protest at Nayabaneshwar in the capital today afternoon.

The police detained them during the protest launched by the teachers working under the government relief quota against a provision in the proposed Federal Education Bill. 

Another three teachers under the government relief quota were injured during their scuffle with police in the same incident. The injured have been undergoing treatment at Everest Hospital, Newbaneshwar.

The police fired tear gas and charged water cannons and batons to stop the protest. According to the Relief Quota Teachers’ Association, about 40,000 teachers are working under relief quota at public schools and around 26,000 female teachers are working at Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDCs) across the country. 

The teachers took to the street after the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) in the draft Federal Education Bill proposed that only 20 percent of the relief quota and ECD teachers be made permanent through internal competition.

 
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