12 Kolkata: The teacher at the centre of a protest controversy clarified that his widely circulated remarks about "petrol" referred to self-immolation, not threats against govt property. Pratap Raychowdhury, former ninth and tenth-grade teacher at Sonarpur MC High School, made the statement on Friday while attending the protests outside the SSC office, addressing video footage released by Kolkata Police from Wednesday's demonstration.
"I was talking about setting myself on fire," Raychowdhury said. "If we do not get our jobs back with dignity, then we have no option but to set ourselves on fire, hang ourselves, or die by suicide."
However, the police footage does not explicitly show Raychowdhury mentioning self-immolation. When questioned about this discrepancy, he responded, "Can everything be captured in that short clip?" Raychowdhury, who claimed to have obtained his position through merit, emphasised the financial strain of job loss. "We have loans. I can't face my child," he said. "Why should our jobs be taken away?"
The teacher maintained his innocence regarding qualification concerns, challenging authorities to prove otherwise. "Is my name on the list of unqualified individuals provided by the CBI? Let them prove I am unqualified," he stated. Raychowdhury insisted that terminated teachers would pursue legal channels to reclaim their positions, stating, "We received our appointment letters legally. We will reclaim them legally."