In early February 2001, teachers from the villages of Khevi and Boriti in the Kharauli district went on strike. They were demanding the payment of several months’ worth of back wages from the previous year. However, as early as August of the prior year, the Minister of Finance had stated during a meeting with representatives of the Teachers’ Union that these arrears would be transferred according to a schedule starting in May 2001, while teachers would continue to receive their current monthly salaries in the meantime.

In practice, teachers were indeed paid each month, but the payments did not specify which month’s salary they were receiving. This caused widespread confusion and fear among educators, as they worried that the outstanding wages from the previous year might never be paid.