Bikash Bhawan in Salt Lake, where the West Bengal Education department is housed, turned into a fortress on Friday morning with a heavy deployment of police, Rapid Action Force, and combat personnel guarding the entire building.
Protesting teachers, who have been there since Thursday afternoon, broke through them and sat on top of the barricades — which had been reinstalled after their clash with police on Thursday — and re-inforced with bamboo poles.
In response, the police formed a human chain in front of Bikash Bhawan to stop the demonstrators from entering.
One protesting teacher demanded the Chief Minister’s resignation: “She is not only the Chief Minister of the state but also the Police Minister, and it is her police who have assaulted us in an inhuman way. She has to resign.”
Chinmoy Mondol, another teacher seen as the face of the protests, said, “The police have filed false cases against us. Where are the cases against Sabyasachi Dutta’s goons? The police will obviously file cases against us. Who ordered this attack? We just wanted to know what steps the CM has taken, what steps will be taken to return our jobs. If they can’t return them, then what’s the next step? We will continue our fight for our rights till our last breath.”
The teachers, who lost their jobs following a Supreme Court verdict, had clashed with police on Thursday afternoon. It was also alleged that Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation Chairman Sabyasachi Dutta was manhandled, after which his supporters allegedly attacked the teachers with helmets, rods, sticks, and kicks.
The Supreme Court order on April 3 upheld a Calcutta High Court order, terming the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process in 2016 “tainted” and annulling almost 26,000 jobs.
A protesting teacher said, “In the morning (on Thursday), we received blows and kicks from a ruling party leader’s goons, and in the evening we are beaten by the police—for what? For demanding what is ours? Who are they protecting? The corrupt.”
Dulal Murmu, a teacher who was injured in the Thursday clash, said, “I tried to save a lady teacher. When the police lathi-charged, I fell to the ground and was then beaten and kicked. I have been teaching for the past seven years. After a lot of struggle, I got the job. My mother is old—even now, she doesn’t know I have lost it.”
Despite the lathi charge, the teachers refused to vacate the premises. They spent the night under the open sky. Some claimed they were threatened by “ruling party goons”.
“We are scared. Last night, some goons on bikes came and threatened us to leave. We approached the police, but they didn’t respond. The police can lathi charge us for our peaceful protest, but they can’t protect us,” said Sharmila Banik, a protesting teacher.
Around 8 pm on Thursday, sirens were suddenly heard, and, according to the teachers, the police launched an unprovoked lathi charge.
A protesting teacher told mediapersons, “Let them kill us.”
Former BJP MP Dilip Ghosh told the media, “The teachers should be in schools. Most of them are good students—they have ranked, they could brighten the future of many children. But what has the government done? Brought them to the streets. The teachers are braving the heat, sitting and demanding their rights. The protests will go on.”
Many of the injured teachers have rejoined the protest.