BHAKTAPUR:The central committee of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) Employees' Association today padlocked the main gate of the office for an indefinite period.

The employees resorted to the agitation after the government transferred Jaya Bahadur Tandon, who was appointed as the member secretary of CTEVT by the past Cabinet for four years, was transferred to the Ministry of Education before completion of his tenure.

Talking to The Himalayan Times, Raju Khadka, president of the agitating body, said, "Education Minister Ram Chandra Kushwaha summoned the CTEVT member secretary to the ministry against the Cabinet decision which violated prevalent rules and regulation."

He further said that the protest was not against Tandon but against direct interference of the minister on CTEVT. "The education ministry's interference has posed a serious threat on CTEVT's autonomy," he blamed. Dev Dutta Badu, general secretary of the agitating body, said that they were compelled to padlock the office after the lawmaker themselves began breaking the laws.

He said that the padlock would continue until the education minister withdrew his personal decision of Tandon's transfer.

Tandon said that he was called to the ministry although he had been executing each and every duty assigned sincerely and timely. "Summoning me at ministry ahead of the Dashain holidays was completely a unfair decision."