Protesting sacked Bengal teachers clash with police, break open Education Dept headquarters gate
More than 1,000 sacked teachers — identified as 'not specifically tainted' and allowed to return to schools until December — have been staging a sit-in outside Bikash Bhavan since Wednesday afternoon as part of the 'Bikash Bhawan Abhijan' against the School Education Department and the School Service Commission (SSC) for filing a review petition in the Supreme Court allegedly without consulting them.
A large contingent of police, along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, were deployed at the protest site with tear gas vehicles on standby.
The protesters said they will continue their protest and 'will not allow any of the employees inside Bikash Bhawan to leave the building'.
Addressing mediapersons, Mehaboob Mondol, spokesperson of the protesting sacked teachers, said, 'They did not consult us or our lawyers before filing the review petition. Never before had anyone seen teachers breaking gates like this. But now our patience has run out. Surprisingly, an elected public representative (Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation chairman Sabyasachi Dutta) along with his supporters assaulting the protesting teachers with helmets. The Chief Minister has to intervene immediately as only she can resolve the matter. We are tired of speaking to the Education Minister. We will not allow any notification to be published.'
A protesting sacked teacher said, 'The state is not taking any initiative. Why should we take responsibility for the wrongs done by others?'
Another protester said, 'Why should we suffer when we gave no bribes? Why should we appear in the examination again? We got the job only after taking the exam.'
Sabyasachi Dutta, on the other hand, alleged that he was manhandled by the protesters. Speaking to the media, he said, 'I had come for some official work. The state government is looking into their demands, but no one is above the court.' As the police and his bodyguards escorted him to his car, the protesters raised slogans against him and some even lay down in front of the vehicle.
A protester said, 'They are protecting the thieves. We must be reinstated with dignity. What is wrong with our demands? The goons of political leaders are coming and beating us up.'
Nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff recruited by the SSC had lost their jobs following a Supreme Court order.
The state government had assured them of legal support to fight their case.
During a meeting with Education Minister Bratya Basu, the government had promised that a review petition would be filed and that the sacked teachers would be informed of every legal step taken.
The protesting teachers, however, alleged that these promises were not kept and that the Supreme Court had ordered that the recruitment process be started by May.
Last week, the Education Department and the SSC filed a review petition against the Supreme Court's April 3 order, which called the entire recruitment process by the SSC in 2016 'tainted'.
Among the protesters are 15,403 teachers identified by the commission as 'not found to be specifically tainted,' from a pool of 17,206 teachers. The identification followed the SC's April 17 modification of its earlier order, made after an appeal by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE). These teachers will continue to receive their salaries until December. The remaining 1,804 teachers have been barred from returning to schools.
On April 17, the Supreme Court had directed the state government and the SSC to submit affidavits by May 31 detailing the fresh recruitment process to fill the vacant posts.
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