Days after the Supreme Court ordered the contentious 2016 West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) teacher recruitment examinations to be held anew, a prominent leader of “untainted” teachers alleged he was assaulted by some policemen while on his way to a protest rally Monday morning.

Suman Biswas, who has emerged as a key face among those opposing the re-examination on the ground that it was unfair, claimed Monday that some policemen assaulted him at the Karunamoyee metro station in Bidhannagar. The police have denied the allegations.

Biswas was on his way to a protest rally at the SSC Bhawan in Karunamoyee when the alleged incident occurred.

“The police came to the platform and tried to arrest me. The police hit me on my chest and broke my phone,” he told the media.

The alleged incident comes days after the Supreme Court dismissed review petitions against its April order scrapping the recruitment of 25,753 candidates teaching and non-teaching staff in government-aided schools following allegations of irregularities. In its ruling on August 5, the Supreme Court held that the entire process had been “vitiated and tainted”.

Biswas is spearheading protests by a group of sacked teachers protesting the re-examination – scheduled for September 7 and September 14 – on the ground that it would be unfair to the candidates who were not involved in the alleged irregularities. Their campaign, called the SSC Bhawan Abhijan, is demanding that instead, the administration should release a list of eligible candidates.

Significantly, the commission released a list of 1,804 “tainted” teachers Saturday.

Meanwhile, Biswas, who had moved the Calcutta High Court for permission to hold the protest, also informed it of the alleged assault through his counsel. Biswas had moved court last week after Bidhannagar Police refused to allow the protest.

While a Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh also denied permission, it directed the police that no stringent action should be taken against Biswas. The court also allowed him and four other protesters to meet the WBSSC chairman.

On their part, the Bidhannagar Police have denied the assault allegations saying they were just keeping a track of his movements

“We had informed him that he had no permission to hold the protest rally but he was adamant,” a senior officer from the Bidhannagar Commissionerate said, adding: “We have also informed him of the Calcutta High Court order. We also asked him who’s accompanying him to the meeting.”

In a related development, another section of “untainted” teachers visited West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and the Indian Secular Front MLA Naushad Siddiqui outside the state Assembly. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Adhikari said: “Since the list of tainted candidates is out, why should they have to give exams? If the state government brings a Bill or Ordinance to give back the jobs of the untainted candidates, then we will support this.”