Ludhiana, Nov. 8 -- With salaries withheld for eight months due to a prolonged dispute between the government and school managements, hundreds of teachers from Ludhiana aided schools on Friday staged a protest in Tarn Taran. Their demonstration, fuelled by months of frustration and financial strain, comes at a politically sensitive moment as Tarn Taran readies itself for the assembly bypoll.

"Is it our fault that we kept working without pay for eight months, or that we continue to impart both education and moral values to our students?" asked Gurmeet Singh Madnipur, state president of the Aided Schools' Union. Over 200 teachers from Ludhiana district participated in the protest, he said.

Union general secretary Sharanjit Singh said, "Th...