Disturbing: Sacked Punjab teachers hold protest with body of infant girl Eknoor in Bathinda

Bathinda (Punjab): Eknoor Kaur Rooth, a 14-month-old girl died of both cold and malnutrition on Thursday during the ongoing protest of Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) teachers here, and for the last four days, the teachers are sitting on dharna with the infant's body.Both the opposition Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP are now engaged in shadow boxing as the infant's body lies in the open with teachers refusing to allow the cremation of the child. Punjab People's Party leader Manpreet Badal and former Congress MLA Harmander Jassi on Saturday visted the protesters and asked teachers not to lose heart. "The battle will be long and tough, but you will come out victorious", Manpreet Badal told the teachers. Jassi offered monetary help to Eknoor's parents, while an AAP leader from Delhi Vishesh Ravi also met the teachers. Meanwhile, the sarpanch of Bambiha Bhai village in Moga, from where Eknoor's parents hail, has demanded that the body be laid to rest immediately. Said sarpanch Gurcharan Singh, "the state government wants to give only Rs 5 lakh compensation and a job to Rooth's father Taranjit Singh, according to his qualifications". He demanded a hike in compensation.Doctors at Bathinda civil hospital said Eknoor suffered from infantile tremor syndrome (ITS), multi-vitamin deficiency and malnutrition.The unemployed EGS teachers have been demanding regular employment, but the Punjab government has told them that as per Central law, they will have to pass Teachers Eligibility Test before they are absorbed as teachers. Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the protesters were trying to blackmail the government.The EGS teachers were appointed on temporary basis in 2007 to teach village students not enrolled in schools, for a meagre salary of Rs 2000 per month. About 4250 teachers were hired under EGS, but after the sceme lapsed, the teachers began pressing for regular employment. The Punjab government then told them that they had not done the elementary trained teachers (ETT) course, and the Central law clearly says every teacher must qualify the TET.