The Crossbill News Desk
Statewide protests intensified on Wednesday (April 9) after the Supreme Court quashed the 2016 recruitment panel for government and aided schools in West Bengal, labelling the selection process as “manipulated and fraud.”
Thousands of teachers and non-teaching staff who lost their jobs following the verdict took to the streets in several districts, demanding reinstatement and justice.
In Kolkata’s Kasba area, tensions flared as a group of former employees staged a demonstration outside the District Inspector of Schools (DI) office. With the office gate reportedly locked in anticipation of unrest, the protesters forced their way in by breaking the lock, seeking to meet the DI and submit a memorandum. However, the official was not present at the time.
Clashes soon broke out, with allegations of police resorting to lathi-charge to disperse the demonstrators. Several protestors were reportedly injured in the scuffle.
Reacting to the incident, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma held the protestors responsible for the violence. Following the circulation of videos showing police chasing, hitting, and even stomping on protestors, Commissioner Verma stated that the first act of aggression came from the demonstrators.
“Four police personnel including two women were injured in the attack by the protestors. We have the video footage. The situation was going out of hand. The on-duty cops had to make a mild lathi-charge,” P Verma told The Telegraph Online.
Similar scenes unfolded across the state. In Hooghly, protestors marched from the local railway station to the DI office, calling for a distinction between 'eligible' and 'ineligible' candidates and restoration of jobs. Protesters blocked GT Road and locked the DI office in symbolic defiance.
Also read: SC Upholds Calcutta HC Order Cancelling 25,753 Bengal School Jobs Over ‘Fraud and Manipulation’
In Malda’s Englishbazar, demonstrators gathered near the DI office adjacent to Atul Market, where police reportedly attempted to prevent the protest. A scuffle ensued as protestors tried to force their way in.
Balurghat witnessed a protest march from Raghunathpur to the DI office. Police barricades halted the rally, leading to clashes. Protesters later locked the DI’s main room and two gates of the office.
In Tamluk, Purba Medinipur, unemployed jobseekers locked the DI office gate and staged a roadblock protest, barring the official from entering. They reiterated demands for reinstating those who were qualified.
Midnapore and Murshidabad’s Berhampur also saw similar demonstrations, with protestors locking DI offices and chanting slogans such as “We want justice.”
The unrest stems from a recent Supreme Court judgment that invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching personnel in West Bengal schools, citing widespread irregularities in the selection process.
The ruling has triggered widespread anger among those who had been appointed through the now-scrapped panel.
Thousands of teachers and non-teaching staff who lost their jobs following the verdict took to the streets in several districts, demanding reinstatement and justice.
In Kolkata’s Kasba area, tensions flared as a group of former employees staged a demonstration outside the District Inspector of Schools (DI) office. With the office gate reportedly locked in anticipation of unrest, the protesters forced their way in by breaking the lock, seeking to meet the DI and submit a memorandum. However, the official was not present at the time.
Clashes soon broke out, with allegations of police resorting to lathi-charge to disperse the demonstrators. Several protestors were reportedly injured in the scuffle.
Reacting to the incident, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma held the protestors responsible for the violence. Following the circulation of videos showing police chasing, hitting, and even stomping on protestors, Commissioner Verma stated that the first act of aggression came from the demonstrators.
“Four police personnel including two women were injured in the attack by the protestors. We have the video footage. The situation was going out of hand. The on-duty cops had to make a mild lathi-charge,” P Verma told The Telegraph Online.
Similar scenes unfolded across the state. In Hooghly, protestors marched from the local railway station to the DI office, calling for a distinction between 'eligible' and 'ineligible' candidates and restoration of jobs. Protesters blocked GT Road and locked the DI office in symbolic defiance.
Also read: SC Upholds Calcutta HC Order Cancelling 25,753 Bengal School Jobs Over ‘Fraud and Manipulation’
In Malda’s Englishbazar, demonstrators gathered near the DI office adjacent to Atul Market, where police reportedly attempted to prevent the protest. A scuffle ensued as protestors tried to force their way in.
Balurghat witnessed a protest march from Raghunathpur to the DI office. Police barricades halted the rally, leading to clashes. Protesters later locked the DI’s main room and two gates of the office.
In Tamluk, Purba Medinipur, unemployed jobseekers locked the DI office gate and staged a roadblock protest, barring the official from entering. They reiterated demands for reinstating those who were qualified.
Midnapore and Murshidabad’s Berhampur also saw similar demonstrations, with protestors locking DI offices and chanting slogans such as “We want justice.”
The unrest stems from a recent Supreme Court judgment that invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching personnel in West Bengal schools, citing widespread irregularities in the selection process.
The ruling has triggered widespread anger among those who had been appointed through the now-scrapped panel.
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