Bengal school jobs verdict: Police halt protest march by ABVP workers

Kolkata: A protest march by ABVP, the students’ wing of the BJP, from Karunamoyee in Salt Lake to Bikash Bhawan — the headquarters of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) — was on Thursday stopped by police, triggering a confrontation between the two sides.

The demonstration was held in protest against alleged corruption in the 2016 SSC recruitment process, a day after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel the appointments of nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff.

As Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) supporters squatted on the road in protest, raising slogans against the state government and alleged corruption in school recruitments, police forcibly removed them.

The students even attempted to change their route to evade police, but they had already cordoned off roads leading to Bikash Bhawan and put up barricades to prevent the agitators from advancing.

Several BJP leaders and activists were also seen engaged in heated arguments with police.

"This is a government of thieves. They destroyed the future of thousands of eligible candidates by selling jobs. We want a change in guard (we seek Parivartan)," a BJP student leader shouted during the demonstration.

BJP supporters alleged that the ruling TMC facilitated large-scale corruption in the recruitment of teachers and Group-C and D staff, that has now jeopardised so many lives.