The para-teachers of Jharkhand will gherao chief minister Hemant Soren’s residence next month to press for regularisation of their service and proper pay scale.

“We will gherao the chief minister’s residence on April 16 if the government doesn’t address our problems during the ongoing budget session,” said Sanjay Kumar Dubey, a leader of the Ekikrit Para Sikshak Sangharsh Morcha, a united forum of para-teachers.

The para-teachers concluded their five-day demonstration near the Assembly on Friday.

“We will also wear badges carrying the slogan ‘Wada pura karo Hemant sarkar (Hemant government fulfil your promise)’ written on those from next Monday,” Dubey further said, adding they would be wearing the badges everywhere, even outside their schools.

The para-teachers also earlier announced that they would demonstrate against the ministers and MLAs belonging to the ruling combine when they go on field visits when the government did not take any decision for addressing their problems even after they staged the demonstration near the Assembly from March 15.

The Morcha has been demanding regularisation of the service of para-teachers and a proper pay scale since 2004 and has organised protest rallies several times in the past.

During one such demonstration in November 2018 when the Raghubar Das government was in power, the police had lathicharged on the protesting para-teachers leaving some of them injured.

Asked why they resorted to fresh agitation, Dubey said: “Chief minister Hemant Soren had earlier announced he would solve our problems within three months after coming to power but nothing has happened so far.”

The state government had recruited para-teachers in 2000 for running the schools and offered them a consolidated monthly salary. After four years, those teachers started demanding regularisation of their service and proper pay scale.

“Nearly 500 of our colleagues have died and hundreds of them have retired without getting any retirement benefits,” Dubey further said, wondering how many more would have to die before the government acted.

“We were given assurances and advised to be patient all these years,” said Hrishikesh Pathak, another Morcha leader.

“We have been maintaining patience all through, even during their ongoing agitation but the government did not do anything to solve our problems though it could do so if it had wanted,” he added.

“The political parties support us when they are in the Opposition and forget us when they come to power,” he further said, adding that they did not want to side with any particular party.

A large section of the 65,000 para-teachers had gathered near the Assembly in batches and demonstrated for five consecutive days since Monday.

Para-teachers from Giridih, Ramgarh, Deoghar, Lohardaga and East Singhbhum districts came to Ranchi for demonstrating on the first day while those from Gumla, Dumka, Jamtara, Sahebganj and Bokaro demonstrated on Friday, the last day of their demonstration.