West Bengal: Teacher-police scuffle during protest over loss of jobs

Kolkata: A section of teachers and other non-teaching staff who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court judgment which held that the whole appointment process was tainted, scuffled with the police outside a West Bengal schools department office in south Kolkata on Wednesday during a protest over the issue.

The protesters alleged that police personnel resorted to baton charge, apart from some of the law enforcers kicking and shoving them around to disperse them from outside the district inspector's (DI) office.

The protestors also claimed that some of them were injured in the baton charge.

The opposition BJP criticised the police action, alleging that they were overactive in this case, while inactive in protests against Waqf Act. A senior police officer said that the protesters had broken the gate of the DI office and entered the premises forcibly.

"Legal action will be taken," Deputy Commissioner of Police (south suburban division), Bidisha Kalita, told reporters.

She said that a few police personnel were injured in the scuffle.

The teachers and other staff who lost their jobs said that police used force on them when they were holding a peaceful demonstration.

The Supreme Court has invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in West Bengal government-run and -aided schools, and termed the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted".

The Kolkata Police, in a social media update, said that an "unruly mob launched an unprovoked and violent attack on police personnel outside the Kasba DI Office, including policewomen." It said that four male and two female police personnel sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment.

"Police were compelled to use mild force to disperse the mob and prevent further injuries and damage to property," the Kolkata Police said in a post on its Facebook page.

"Investigation into the incident is underway," it said.

Criticising the police action on the protesting teachers and other staff who lost their jobs, BJP West Bengal state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar alleged that the police force were, however, not active enough to protect life and property at Jangipur in Murshidabad district on Tuesday during a protest against Waqf (Amendment) Act.

Stones were allegedly hurled and police vehicles were set on fire during a protest over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Tuesday, according to officials.

"The police are inactive when government property is vandalised at Jangipur, but they are overactive when stopping peaceful protests by teachers," Majumdar said.