School Job Losers Ramp Up Protests After Meeting Education Minister
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Synopsis
After their meeting with West Bengal's Education Minister, job losers intensified protests in Kolkata. They demand immediate action to distinguish between genuine candidates and those who secured jobs through corruption. Their hunger strike and sit-in demonstration reflect their determination to protect their rights.
Key Takeaways
- Escalation of protests by school job losers in Kolkata.
- Relay hunger strike ongoing for three days at WBSSC office.
- Demand for immediate action from the state government.
- Assurances made by the Education Minister for a segregated candidate list.
- Protests will continue until demands are met.
Kolkata, April 12 (NationPress) Following a meeting with West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu, individuals who lost their school jobs due to a recent Supreme Court ruling have escalated their protests in the streets of Kolkata starting Saturday.
A segment of the job losers has entered the third day of their relay hunger strike outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office.
Currently, three teachers, who are reportedly valid candidates, are participating in this hunger strike: Pankaj Roy, Pratap Rana, and Suman Biswas.
Simultaneously, another group of job losers initiated an indefinite sit-in demonstration from Saturday morning at the base of Mahatma Gandhi's statue near Esplanade in central Kolkata.
Both protest groups share a unified demand: immediate action from the West Bengal government and WBSSC to differentiate between “genuine” candidates and “tainted” ones who secured school jobs through bribery.
Last week, the Supreme Court's division bench, led by the Chief Justice of India, upheld a prior ruling by the Calcutta High Court that annulled a panel of 25,753 appointments made by the WBSSC due to the state's and commission's failure to differentiate between “genuine” and “tainted” candidates.
The decision to amplify their protests was made despite assurances from the education minister after a four-hour meeting on Friday night, where he promised to publish a segregated list of “genuine” and “tainted” candidates, but only following proper legal advice.
The delegation was also assured that efforts would be made to release the segregated list by April 21.
“While we have been given time until April 21 based on the minister's assurances, we are still uncertain about the protection of jobs for genuine candidates. Hence, we will remain on the streets, and our movement will persist until our demands are met,” stated a protesting teacher.
