SSC standoff continues, cops lodge FIR for public property destruction, assault
Times of India | 17 May 2025
123 Kolkata: The standoff continued at Bikash Bhavan with jobless SSC teachers laying siege outside the education department headquarter in Salt Lake for the second day on Friday as cops slapped an FIR against the teachers without naming anyone and accusing them of destruction of public property, obstructing government employees and assaulting policemen.None, however, were arrested till late on Friday night.On Friday, the scene inside Bikash Bhavan remained tense following Thursday's events where several jobless teachers and cops were injured in a clash between protesting SSC teachers and police.Sources said a woman employee from the Women and Child Welfare Department fell ill at the department on Thursday after her blood sugar levels dropped, resulting in a head injury. She was rushed to Seva Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment. A pregnant woman, who got stuck there, left around 10 pm with the help of police.On Friday, while teachers protested outside Bikash Bhavan, a large team of Bidhannagar City Police led by CP Mukesh Kumar and other deputy commissioners were posted inside the building.Mehboob Mandal, A prominent face of the protest, said, "We have been attacked because we spoke against this corruption." The teachers had planned an apolitical convention. BJP neta Suvendu Adhikari attended this on Friday and announced a ‘Bidhan Sabha Abhijan' on June 9 to protest the alleged attack on teachers.The Bengal Police on Friday claimed that it had shown restraint for more than seven hours on Thursday and were forced to use "only that much limited force" that was required to ensure that govt workers, stuck in their offices, could return to their homes without hindrance after a day's work.ADG (law and order) Jawed Shamim, while speaking at Bhabani Bhawan, stated that 19 police officers were reported injured in the "clash" even as one of them is serious. "For 10 days, the jobless protesters had been peacefully demonstrating in shifts in front of Bikash Bhavan. The police administration cooperated. However, the situation changed yesterday. Some of them broke barricades and entered Bikash Bhavan premises.Yet, cops remained restrained at that time till they forcibly stopped employees of Bikash Bhavan to come out and even attacked us. Individuals who incited the incident have been identified and necessary legal action will be taken against them," said Supratim Sarkar, ADG (South Bengal)."There were elderly people, women and even a pregnant woman. We began receiving anxious calls from them. Out of desperation, one woman jumped from the mezzanine floor and fractured her leg. An employee pleaded that she needed to reach home to give his mother medicines, but she was not allowed," said Sarkar. "If they have the right to protest, don't these people have the right to safely reach their homes?" asked Sarkar.