Students protest against encroachments in Sialkot as their teachers look on

Students of the Government GC Higher Secondary School in Sialkot staged a protest on Monday against the land encroachment.

They say people have set up stalls and shops along the school's boundary wall. The protests turned violent after students brandishing sticks destroyed the flower stalls. They took the items sold at the stall to Ghanta Ghar Chowk and burnt them.

Strangely, teachers stood in the corner and guided the students on how to protest. More than 500 students blocked the road in Saddar area.

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The students said that they are protesting on the instructions of their teachers. The teachers, however, denied this and said that the students left the school premises themselves to protest.

The students complained that the shop and stall owners occupied the land near the school where they have to park their bikes and hence they face difficulties.

It is speculated that the teachers instigated the students to protest because they would not have been able to leave the building during school hours without the teachers’ permission. The police arrived at the scene to disperse the protesters but the students began leaving themselves once their school hours finished.