Bengal: Nearly 50 protesting jobless teachers detained on way to state secretariat

Kolkata: Nearly 50 jobless teachers protesting under the banner of the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum were detained at two locations here on their way to the West Bengal state secretariat, Nabanna.

The group had assembled to demand permanent reinstatement as eligible teachers, opposing the state’s directive to retake recruitment exams.

As hundreds of protesters gathered at Sealdah Station and Esplanade — around 2 km apart — to begin their march, they were stopped by police personnel already deployed at the sites.

"We were not allowed to hold a democratic march in a peaceful manner. All we wanted to do was to seek an appointment with CM Mamata Banerjee and let her know our situation and demand," said a forum member.

In a symbolic act of protest, some demonstrators removed their shirts.

Deputy Commissioner (Central) Indira Mukherjee said around 50 protesters were detained for attempting to obstruct traffic and disrupt public order.

Mukherjee said a protester suffered a leg injury during a scuffle with women police officers near a mall in Esplanade area. She was promptly taken to the nearby state-run medical college hospital for treatment, Mukherjee added.

"As police personnel, we cannot comment on their demands or movement. But we had inputs about attempts to create a law and order situation," she said.

Police also conducted ID checks in the surrounding area, including boarding public buses to search for hidden protesters.

The forum had earlier announced plans to march from Sealdah to Nabanna, with some members intending to participate without shirts to emphasise their demand for immediate reinstatement without undergoing fresh recruitment exams.

The protesting teachers have been staging an indefinite sit-in for the past 22 days outside the West Bengal Education Department headquarters.

Their agitation follows the Supreme Court’s April 3 ruling that invalidated 25,753 teaching and non-teaching appointments made through the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment, citing widespread irregularities.

Forum spokesperson Chinmoy Mondal earlier said, "We are determined to hold the protest march despite the threat of police action. If not allowed, we will discuss the next step." He also referred to the recent death of 35-year-old Prabin Karmakar, an ailing teacher from Murshidabad, as a tragic consequence of the stress caused by the uncertainty surrounding their futures.

"He was already under stress due to his medical condition. On hearing the Chief Minister’s statement that even the deserving candidates would have to sit for fresh exams, his condition worsened, leading to a fatal cardiac arrest. He was the sole breadwinner of his family," Mondal said.

He further appealed to the state government to seek an early hearing of its review petition in the Supreme Court.

"No deserving and untainted teacher should be forced to relive the trauma of reappearing for exams due to the SSC’s faults," he added.

Meanwhile, the state government on Wednesday night issued a notification for the recruitment of over 40,000 teachers.

The notification offers additional marks to candidates with prior teaching experience in government and government-aided schools.