Bengal Police Officer Removed from Investigation Following Allegations Against Protesting Teacher
Click to start listening
Synopsis
On April 11, a Bengal police officer was removed from an investigation after being accused of kicking a protesting teacher. The incident occurred during a demonstration by jobless teaching staff in Kolkata, prompting concerns about the integrity of the investigation.
Key Takeaways
- Riton Das removed from investigation
- Protests by jobless teaching staff
- Concerns over investigation integrity
- New investigator assigned: Sanjay Singh
- Upcoming meeting with Education Minister Bratya Basu
Kolkata, April 11 (NationPress) In the midst of controversy, the police officer accused of kicking a protesting teacher outside the District Inspector of Schools' office in Kasba, Kolkata, has been taken off the investigation into the agitation by the jobless individuals.
On Friday morning, it became public that Sub-Inspector Riton Das, who is assigned to the Kasba Police, was initially tasked with investigating the protests involving teaching and non-teaching staff that occurred on Wednesday afternoon. This decision led to widespread condemnation from various quarters.
The affected teachers, along with opposition leaders and members of civil society, raised concerns regarding the impartiality of the investigation conducted by an officer who is himself implicated in the incident.
Consequently, another officer, Sanjay Singh, also from the Kasba Police Station, has been appointed to lead the investigation.
During the protests on Wednesday afternoon, police deployed lathi-charges against the teaching and non-teaching staff of state-run schools whose employment was recently terminated following a ruling by a division bench of the Supreme Court.
The demonstrators were gathered outside the District Inspector of Schools' office in Kasba, urging the state government to promptly distinguish between the “genuine” candidates and those deemed “tainted” who were receiving jobs in exchange for money.
In the course of the police intervention, several protesters suffered serious injuries from police batons. Media cameras captured Das kicking a protester amidst the chaos.
Despite this, the administration characterized the police response as mild and claimed that action was necessitated due to being attacked.
A meeting is set for Friday between representatives of the teaching and non-teaching staff and the state Education Minister Bratya Basu, who is anticipated to outline the government's proposed measures to resolve the crisis stemming from the Supreme Court's ruling.
