What Happened During the WBSSC Recruitment Protests?

Kolkata, May 15 (NationPress) Tensions escalated outside Bikash Bhavan, the headquarters of the West Bengal education department located in Salt Lake on Kolkata's northern fringe, on Thursday night. The police executed aggressive baton charges to disperse the “gherao” protest led by the “genuine” secondary and higher secondary teachers from state-run schools who have lost their positions due to a recent Supreme Court ruling.

The demonstrators, united under the banner of the “Jogyo Shikhok-Shikkika Adhikar Mancha” (Genuine Teachers’ Rights Forum), began their protest outside Bikash Bhavan on Thursday afternoon, effectively surrounding the building.

Initially, law enforcement attempted to persuade the teachers to end their “gherao” protest, but the protesters firmly rejected the request, insisting that they would persist with their demonstration until they received definitive assurances from the state government regarding their demands.

However, around 10 p.m., a large police presence arrived and engaged in a significant baton charge to disperse the crowd. Reports indicate that numerous protesters suffered serious injuries during the confrontation.

The police defended their actions, stating that they had no alternative but to intervene to allow the state education department employees, who were trapped in the office due to the protest, to exit safely and return home.

Furthermore, the police alleged that the protesters resorted to throwing stones, resulting in injuries to some officers.

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP's Information Technology cell and the party's central observer for West Bengal, condemned the police's actions against the protesting educators in a statement released on Thursday night.

“In a shocking exhibition of violence, the state police executed a brutal cane charge. One female teacher suffered a broken leg while another sustained a head injury. Both lay on the ground, crying out in anguish. Instead of providing assistance, the police continued to strike others in the vicinity. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's conduct raises severe questions about authoritarianism and misuse of power,” Malviya's statement read.

The protesters' primary demand is for the state government and the West Bengal School Service Commission to promptly publish a list distinguishing the “untainted” candidates from those deemed “tainted” due to employment gained through bribery. They argue that once the list is released, the jobs of the “untainted” candidates can be secured while those of the “tainted” candidates can be revoked.

Previously, the Supreme Court upheld a prior ruling by the Calcutta High Court's division bench led by Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi, which annulled 25,753 school jobs in West Bengal.

The apex court also endorsed the Calcutta High Court's view that the entire panel of 25,753 candidates required cancellation due to the state government's and commission's failure to distinguish between “untainted” and “tainted” candidates.

The state government and the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) have already submitted petitions for review to the apex court regarding this matter.