The District Education Officer, Ms B. Mallamma, was attacked at the Public Gardens,Hyderabad on Monday by irate teachers protesting the merger of upper primary schools with nearby high schools. Several teachers reached the Indira Priyadarshini Auditorium, where the DEO was holding an orientation programme for headmasters of government schools. They shouted slogans against the government and then rushed to the dais and threw away mikes, water bottles, files and chairs. The angry teachers then asked the DEO to withdraw the decision on mergers. Ms Mallamma tried to explain that she was just implementing the orders of the government and showed them copies of relevant orders. However, the protesting teachers grabbed the papers from her and tore them into pieces.
The teachers pointed out that the government had decided to close down 150 schools and also merge another 90 upper primary schools. Even as many headmasters ran away from the auditorium, some officials came in support of the DEO and argued with protestors. Ms Mallamma rushed out and tried to get into her car. But the protesting teachers chased her shouting slogans