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The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Teachers in West Bengal resume protests; police justify use of force as ‘minimal'
Protesting teachers who were baton-charged on Thursday (May 15, 2025) night resumed their sit-in outside Bikash Bhawan, the West Bengal Education Department headquarters, and continued their protest overnight. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Police on Friday (May 16), justified their use of force as minimal. The use of force brought heavy criticism from Opposition political parties. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders Sajal Ghosh and Kaustav Bagchi met the teachers on Friday evening. Congress organised rallies in support of the cause. Earlier in the day, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders visited the protest site to condemn the police brutality. This came after the teachers, who faced the police baton, asked the common people to come out in support of their cause. The teachers said they don't want their protests to be politicised but would welcome leaders who joined without party flags. The protesting teachers said over 30 colleagues were critically injured and hospitalised, with head wounds, broken limbs, eye injuries, and one reportedly suffering a stroke from police action. A rally was also taken out by working teachers from across the city to voice their solidarity for their colleagues and condemn the police brutality. 'We used minimal force, we understand that they have lost their jobs, we have solidarity with their cause. But they broke barricades, used force to get inside Bikash Bhawan, and did not allow over 500 employees to leave the premises. We got multiple distress calls from inside, people wanted to go back home to their families... We only used force to make a safe passage for these people to leave,' Supratim Sarkar, Additional Director General, South Bengal told presspersons. The police said that 19 personnel were injured during the clashes. The police have taken cognizance of the whole situation and registered a suo motu case against the teachers. 'They call this minimal force? It left us with fractures, head and eye injuries, and blood loss. We gheraoed Bikash Bhawan staff because they're the reason we're on the streets.' Chintan Mondal, a representative of Deserving Teachers Rights Forum said. Many of the injured teachers were seen sitting outside Bikash Bhawan even on Friday afternoon demanding immediate reinstatement without the need to reappear for examinations. 'They hit me with batons, they kicked me with their boots, I started bleeding. They critically injured my leg, but I will not give up. I will not go back home,' an injured teacher said. A huge contingent of Rapid Action Force and police were present on site even on Friday. 'We have never seen such barbaric and brutal attack on teachers in any other State. The police are working like Trinamool cadre,' Sukanta Majumdar, BJP Lok Sabha MP, said while condemning the attack. The teachers have been protesting in front of Bikash Bhawan since May 7. Earlier, teachers had staged protests outside the WBSSC office for over a week. The protest was in response to the Supreme Court ruling which upheld the cancellation of approximately 26,000 appointments made during the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the WBSSC, citing irregularities. On April 17, the top court allowed 'untainted' candidates to continue in service until December 31, or until a fresh selection process is completed.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Protesting sacked Bengal teachers clash with police, break open Education Dept headquarters gate
The teachers who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court order over allegations of irregularities in their recruitment clashed with police during a protest on Thursday and broke open the main gate of Bikash Bhavan, the West Bengal Education Department headquarters in Salt Lake, Kolkata. 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.
