Over 2,000 teachers and non-teaching staff, stripped of their jobs by a Supreme Court ruling, intensified their protests outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) headquarters in Salt Lake, Kolkata, on Tuesday.
The agitators, part of the 26,000 whose 2016 appointments were annulled on April 3 due to “widespread irregularities,” vowed to escalate their stir, blocking entry and exit to the WBSSC building, trapping Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar inside since Monday evening.
Demanding the release of a list separating “tainted” from “untainted” candidates, the protesters, enduring scorching heat, accused the WBSSC of deceit.
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“We’ve lost everything; this ends with justice, not promises,” one teacher declared. Another, supporting a daughter needing kidney treatment, said, “Seven years of service, and now I’m ‘undeserving’?” The crowd, banging empty bottles, barred food from entering the building, insisting officials “feel the heat” of their plight.
The protests erupted after WBSSC failed to publish the promised list by Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline. A delegation of eight teachers continued a sit-in inside the building without food, while a woman protester, who fainted in the heat, refused to leave. Security tightened with additional barricades as tensions soared.
Education Minister Bratya Basu, claiming legal experts advised against publishing the list, urged patience until a Supreme Court review petition is filed. Majumdar, in a late Monday statement, promised salaries for services rendered but sidestepped the list demand, citing compliance with court orders. BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay countered, alleging Basu’s “misguidance” and supporting the call for transparency, insisting it wouldn’t violate court rulings.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front, known for its 2024 RG Kar protests, joined in solidarity, amplifying the movement. With no resolution in sight, the teachers’ resolve strengthens, echoing a broader cry for justice.
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