Kolkata, May 16 (UNI) A day after a violent police crackdown at Salt Lake in West Bengal, teachers who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court verdict regrouped outside Bikash Bhavan — the headquarters of the West Bengal Education Department — on Friday morning to continue their agitation.
Despite sustaining severe injuries because of police crackdown on Thursday night, some of the protesters returned, demonstrating their determination to press on with their demands.
The demonstration, led by members of the “Jogyo Shikhok-Shikkika Adhikar Mancha” (Genuine Teachers’ Rights Forum), escalated as a few protesters tried to breach police barricades set up around the building in Salt Lake, Kolkata. A contingent from the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate was deployed to manage the situation.
Tensions had previously peaked on Thursday night during a “gherao” protest that began earlier in the day. Protesters had surrounded Bikash Bhavan, demanding that the state government and the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) should immediately release a segregated list distinguishing “untainted” job candidates from those who secured positions through illicit means.
Despite initial attempts by the police to persuade the demonstrators to withdraw, the situation turned violent around 10 p.m., when a large force resorted to baton-charging the crowd to clear the premises. Several teachers sustained serious injuries. Police claimed the action was necessary to evacuate state education department staff who were unable to leave due to the blockade. They also alleged that protesters had pelted stones, injuring several officers.
The protesting teachers vowed to continue their movement, stating they were prepared to face further police action unless their demands were met.
Their protest stems from an April 3 Supreme Court ruling that upheld a Calcutta High Court order cancelling 25,753 school appointments due to the authorities’ failure to distinguish between legitimate and tainted candidates. The state government and the WBSSC have filed review petitions in response.
Condemnation of the police action came from BJP IT cell chief and party observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, who accused the state administration of brutality. In a statement, he alleged that police beat teachers indiscriminately, including women who suffered grave injuries.
As the standoff continues, protesters insist that only by publishing a transparent, segregated list can justice be served, and jobs restored to those who earned them fairly.
UNI XC PRS