What’s Happening with the WBSSC Scam? Job-Losing Staff to Protest at State Secretariat Today

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Non-teaching staff in West Bengal are protesting job losses.
- They demand the reinstatement of untainted positions.
- Transparency in the recruitment process is a key issue.
- Security measures have been heightened in anticipation of the protest.
- The protest highlights significant employment issues within the education sector.
Kolkata, July 8 (NationPress) A group of non-teaching personnel in the Group-C and Group-D categories from state-run schools in West Bengal, who were terminated from their positions due to a Supreme Court ruling in April, are planning a "march to the state secretariat" on Tuesday afternoon.
These staff members, mobilized under the banner of the "Group-C & Group-D Adhikar Mancha (Group-C & Group-D Rights Forum)", will be staging a rally to advocate for a four-point agenda aimed at resolving the current standstill with the state government.
The forum has determined that out of the total non-teaching positions eliminated following the Supreme Court's April decision, 3,395 were deemed "untainted" and thus should be reinstated, while those identified as "tainted" should face immediate termination.
The second demand focuses on the prompt release of verified copies of the "untainted" non-teaching personnel by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).
The third demand requests the immediate disclosure of all the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets utilized in the recruitment examination to clarify which individuals were classified as "tainted".
The final demand calls for the state government to devise interim solutions exclusively for the "untainted" staff, distinctly excluding the "tainted" individuals.
The untainted personnel will begin gathering in front of Howrah Maidan Metro station in Kolkata's Howrah district at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday before marching toward the state secretariat, Nabanna, also located in Howrah district.
Originally, the rally was scheduled for July 3; however, due to police restrictions, they rescheduled for Tuesday.
"We have held multiple discussions with WBSSC regarding this issue. Unfortunately, they have not provided a concrete solution, leaving us no choice but to organize this protest," stated a representative of the forum.
In the meantime, security measures around Nabanna have been heightened in anticipation of the protest march.
A three-tier security system is already in place surrounding the state secretariat, with all access roads to Nabanna blocked off by barricades.