Around 500 teachers who took out a march to Uttarkanya here on Monday with a slew of demands, including due dearness allowance, were stopped by police at Tinbatti More, some 2km ahead of the state branch secretariat.

Teachers jostled with the police to breach a barricade raised on Asian Highway-II, prompting the latter to use water cannons.

A couple of days back, a similar rally of DYFI supporters was halted by the police at the same venue.

The teachers, who are associated with the CPM-backed All Bengal Teachers’ Association and All Bengal Primary Teachers’ Association, on Monday morning assembled in Siliguri from various districts of north Bengal. They took out a rally along Burdwan Road and AH-II, and around 1.30pm reached Tinbatti, where they faced heavy police deployment and a barricade.

Protesters wanted to move ahead and jostled with the police. Police pushed them back. But when the protesters insisted on breaching the barricade, police used water cannons to disperse them.

“We were walking in a peaceful manner but the police forcibly stopped us. They used water cannons and assaulted some of us. This is condemnable,” said a protesting teacher.

The police have denied charges of assault.

After almost an hour, the situation turned normal. Later, the police allowed a delegation of the teachers to go to Uttarkanya where they submitted a memorandum.

Teachers also held a public meeting near Tinbatti More.