Before West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee addressed the loss of jobs for teachers in her state at the Netaji Indoor stadium early Monday morning, a scuffle broke out between teachers who entered the stadium and a section of candidates claiming they did not get passes “despite being genuine teachers”.
On April 3, a Supreme Court verdict upheld the invalidation of 25,753 teacher appointments over irregularities in the recruitment process by the School Service Commission (SSC). In her address at the stadium, Banerjee assured the teachers of her support, advising them to “continue voluntary service” while her administration would submit a review petition.
The passes for the address had the phrase “Amra joggo” (we are eligible), leading to candidates questioning “how it could be decided who is genuine and who is not.”
Police rushed to prevent the scuffle from escalating, following which a huge deployment along with the RAF was brought in. Barricades were put up between the two groups, near the stadium’s entrance. Deputy Commissioner (Central) Indira Mukherjee arrived at the scene and used a public address system in an attempt to restore order. As the situation escalated, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma also reached the spot.
Reportedly, the distribution of the passes took place on Sunday night.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Surojit Malakar, a group D non-teaching staff at Bardhaman, said, “We have not been allowed inside. They have to give us a job… I am not a tainted candidate. I am the only breadwinner of my family. I have aged parents, a wife and a one-year-old child. What will I feed them now?”
Krishnendu Mukherjee, teacher at Panchanantala High School in Katwa told The Indian Express, “Just for some tainted candidates, the entire panel has to suffer. Why will our jobs have to go too? How is it possible to give a re-examination?”
“I thought that the tainted candidates would get removed, but we got punished,” said Tanaya Das, a teacher at the Serampore High School. “We are candidates who are genuine… We never gave money. I did not get a pass, does that mean that I am tainted? How are they deciding who is tainted and who is not — how can they issue such passes?”
Meanwhile, Bapi Mondol, a teacher of a school at Paschim Medinipur, told The Indian Express after the meeting, “I am jobless. My four-year-old daughter said, ‘I will not go to school as you will not be able to pay my fees.’ I am in complete darkness now.”
Bapan Jana, another teacher who had lost his job, told mediapersons, “How could the Chief Minister say that we have to do voluntary work? Did we study for this day? She gave no clarity to us about the future. The Chief minister said she will ask the Supreme Court for the list (of who was genuine)… What was she doing for so long? Is this a joke?”
“This is hardly a relief,” said Santu Das, a teacher of Adarsha Vidyapithee, to The Indian Express. “The Chief Minister has told us to go to school, but how can we? Is her order above the Supreme Court’s order?”
Ashima Khatun of Shaktinagar High School told The Indian Express, “Today we are being told that the Chief Minister will seek the list from the Supreme Court so what was happening till now? Why will we suffer for what politicians have done? This is no solution.”