Agartala, June 12, 2025: A group of agitated students from Tarini Sundari High School staged a road blockade in the Shantinagar area of Dhanpur on Thursday protesting the transfer of their science teacher Sanjay Saha. The demonstration brought traffic to a halt causing significant inconvenience to commuters and local residents.

The students claimed that the school, which has approximately 100 students, has been functioning with only four teachers far fewer than required to manage classes from Grade 1 to Grade 10.

“There is already a severe shortage of teachers in our school. Despite repeated appeals to the authorities, no additional staff have been sent,” said one protesting student. “Now, they have transferred our science teacher. This is unacceptable. Who will teach us science?”

As the protest intensified, traffic was completely blocked on the main road, leaving vehicle drivers and passengers stranded for hours. “We were stuck for a long time without any idea of when the road would clear. There were schoolchildren, office-goers and even patients in vehicles,” said a local commuter.

Upon receiving information about the blockade, police personnel and the school inspector quickly reached the scene. They engaged in talks with the students and tried to pacify the situation.

“We understand the students’ concern. The matter will be brought to the attention of higher authorities, and steps will be taken to address the teacher shortage,” said the school inspector.

Following the assurance from the officials, the students agreed to lift the blockade and allowed traffic to resume. However, the incident has once again highlighted the chronic issue of teacher shortages in rural government schools.

Locals urged the Education Department to take immediate action to ensure adequate staffing in such institutions to prevent further disruptions.