Bengal school jobs ‘scam’: Protesting teachers lay siege to SSC office
Some 2,000 protesters have surrounded the WBSSC building, blocking the entry and exit of officials as well as food; chairman trapped inside since Monday evening
Thousands of teachers who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court order upped the ante against the West Bengal government and the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) on Tuesday ( April 22). They have laid siege to the WBSSC headquarters in Salt Lake since Monday evening and have vowed to continue their protest till they get “justice”.
Around 2,000 protesters, who were among the nearly 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff whose appointments were declared invalid by the Supreme Court on April 3, citing “widespread irregularities” in the 2016 recruitment drive, surrounded the WBSSC headquarters.
Also Read: Bengal teacher recruitment scam: SC order just temporary relief, say 'untainted' teachers
'Publish list of deserving, undeserving candidates'
Not only are the protesters blocking the entry and exit of officials, including its chairman Siddhartha Majumdar, who has been inside the building since Monday evening, they are also not allowing the entry of any food items into the premises.
The protesters are demanding that the WBSSC publish the list of candidates who were recruited on the basis of merit, and those who got appointments by allegedly paying bribes.
“We have realised we have nothing more to lose. This agitation will only end with justice — not another promise, not another lie,” said one of the protesters, as quoted by PTI.
"We will not let any food item enter the SSC building. If we are forced to starve on the streets under the open sky, those sitting inside air-conditioned rooms should also feel the heat,” said another agitator.
Also Read: WB recruitment row: SC extends tenure of untainted sacked teachers for now
Protesters slam education minister
Security has been beefed up around the WBSSC office, and several barricades have been put up along with the deployment of a large police contingent.
The protesters raised slogans against the commission and accused it of “consistently lying”. They termed Education Minister Bratya Basu’s assurances “betrayal in the disguise of legal advice”.
A protester claimed that an eight-member delegation of teachers who entered the building to meet the chairman was still inside, holding a sit-in demonstration without any food.
“A woman protester had earlier fainted in this heat, but she insists she will not budge until justice is delivered,” he said.
Also Read: Mamata hails SC order extending services of untainted terminated teachers
Education minister's assurance
Earlier, state Education Minister Bratya Basu had said that the list of "deserving and undeserving" candidates would be published in two weeks. The protest outside the WBSSC office broke out after the commission failed to publish the list by Monday evening, even after another round of meeting with representatives of the teachers.
In a late-night statement on Monday, WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar said the commission would abide will abide by the apex court's directives and ensure “the (jobless) teachers having rendered services will be given salary".
However, he did not say anything about posting the list of all “tainted/untainted” candidates as per the April 21 deadline.
"In respect of the matter of recruitment of teachers in 2016, it is made clear that SSC will abide by the orders of the Hon'ble Supreme Court... It is informed by the department that the salary of teachers who have rendered services will be disbursed according to existing system," he said in the statement.
Also Read: Jobless after SC verdict, Bengal teachers take their fight to Delhi
BJP slams Trinamool government
The BJP slammed the Trinamool Congress government over the issue. BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay accused Basu of trying to mislead the protesters and urged them to continue their peaceful protest.
"What the candidates are demanding is transparency in the recruitment process. Differentiating between tainted and untainted candidates will not invite any contempt of court charge. I call upon the teachers not to leave the path of peaceful agitation till they get justice," he said, as quoted by PTI.
(With inputs from agencies)
