Bhubaneswar, Feb. 5: A number of protesting teachers suffered injuries as police resorted to a lathicharge when they attempted to storm the chief minister's residence - Naveen Nivas - here today.

The block grant teachers were demanding a grant-in-aid and salary at par with that in government schools.

The teachers were trying to march towards Naveen Nivas today when the police stopped them at Sishu Bhavan Square. At this, the protesters dispersed into small groups and tried to reach the chief minister's residence using lanes and bylanes. Some of them also attempted to break the police cordon.

Some protesters reportedly hurled stones at the cops following which the police resorted to lathicharge.

Last year, the block grant teachers staged an agitation demanding full grant instead of block grant. Some 26,508 teachers from 2,209 block grant high schools across the state had reportedly taken part in the agitation. On September 29, the teachers called off their 40-day strike after chief minister Naveen Patnaik assured them that their demand would be considered.

However, the protesting teachers rued that the chief minister did not take any step to solve their problems in the last four months.

Around 40,000 teachers engaged in various block schools are being paid salaries according to the Grant-in-Aid Policy, 2013. The teachers are demanding fulfilment of their nine-point charter of demands, which includes full grant-in-aid. According to the grant-in-aid policy, schools getting block grant for more than eight years would be eligible for full grant-in-aid and be paid according to the Sixth Pay Commission.

A senior police officer said that they had to resort to lathicharge after the teachers did not pay heed to their warning and marched on towards the chief minister's residence.

"On September 27, the chief minister had assured us that he would fulfil our demands. But now, his government is trying to wash its hands off the issue by announcing a 20 per cent hike in the salary of the secondary school teachers and staff members. We will prefer to die than letting this injustice happen," said general secretary of the association Prashant Kumar Mohapatra.