Job seekers who appeared and qualified for teacher eligibility test in 2014 have been protesting at the venue since Monday
Job seekers who appeared and qualified for teacher eligibility test in 2014 have been protesting at the venue since Monday
All major opposition political parties in West Bengal on Friday took to the streets to protest against the police crackdown on job-seekers who were protesting outside the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) office in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area.
Police personnel used force to drag hundreds of protesters into jail vans in the early hours of Friday. During the day, supporters of the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) demonstrated in the Salt Lake area, followed by supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress in the central parts of the country. A scuffle broke out between Left supporters and the police in Salt Lake and with the BJP in Esplanade. Dozens of Left and BJP workers were detained. State Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also held a rally in the city with black votes. Protests were also organized by the BJP in other parts of the state.
Under police prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC. In Salt Lake, PC was installed in the area in front of WBBPE and the protestors were defying the orders. The police were also announcing that they would be urged to leave the venue, saying the Calcutta High Court had upheld their decision to impose the prohibitory order. He also went on a hunger strike demanding the appointment of teachers in the state from Monday at the venue.
Irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools have shook the West Bengal government. Central probe agencies have arrested six key officials of the state education department, including former minister Partha Chatterjee and former WBBPE chairman Manik Bhattacharya.
The protesters are claiming that they have participated in the recruitment process twice but have been denied jobs as they were given jobs in lieu of money. Despite the ongoing police action, representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Left and the Congress reached the venue.
“West Bengal or Hitler’s Germany?” After the police action, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said. Police used brute force on agitating candidates in Salt Lake to forcibly end their legitimate sit-in demonstration near the State Board of Primary Education office.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refrained from commenting on the matter saying that the matter is sub-judice. Prominent citizens including filmmaker Aparna Sen, doctor Binayak Sen and other prominent citizens have condemned the police crackdown on the protesting students. The Calcutta High Court has directed the central investigative agencies to examine the recruitment process in government schools.
Meanwhile, WBBPE on Friday released the notification for the recruitment of 11,765 Primary Teachers. Candidates below 40 years of age can apply for these posts, but no preference is given to the protesting job seekers.