A group of 74 primary teachers in Murshidabad’s Farakka took out a grand procession on their way to the inspector of schools’ office to collect show-cause notices issued to them for taking part in the March 10 strike to demand DA on a par with central government employees.

With the teachers’ procession, a local band accompanied them all the way to the office of the inspector of schools. Teachers also played with abir (colours) and distributed sweets to passers-by to celebrate the success of the March 10 strike.

To send across the message to the state administration that punitive actions would not stop them from demanding their rights, the teachers carried a cake with “Happy Showcause” written on it.

“We walked and danced to music all the way to the SI office. We celebrated the government’s decision to issue show-cause notices to us, as it proved the success of the strike. Our fight for our rightful dearness allowance will continue. Show-cause notices cannot scare us,” said Shyamal Mitra, who was among the teachers who walked the one-kilometer stretch to the SI office on Monday.

The Farakka block has 72 primary schools with 320 teachers. Sources said that most teachers supported the strike but 74 of them stayed away from work on strike day.

The strike was called by Sangrami Joutha Mancha, an umbrella organization of multiple unions of the state government, who also sat for days in protest near the Shaheed Minar in Calcutta to demand parity in DA with that of central government employees. State government employees get 6 per cent and their counterparts in the central government 38 per cent.

The state government issued the participants of the strike show-cause notices. A break in service and a day’s pay cut have also been threatened against them as penal action.

What do we have to fear? We are not afraid of the government’s threats. We will seek legal recourse if needed,” said Sujan Sharma, another teacher.

SI Dipanwita Kundu, when contacted, was brief in her reaction to Monday’s unique procession by teachers.

“I don’t know anything about the procession or celebration. I was asked to serve the (show-cause) notices, which I did,” she said.

However, many employees of her own office were seen receiving sweets from the teachers.

Members of the Mancha will also demonstrate at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in April for “awareness” of the condition of Bengal’s government employees.