Sacked teachers scuffle with cops during nightlong protest at SSC Bhawan; RAF deployed

Hundreds of dismissed teachers continued their sit-in outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) headquarters in Salt Lake on Monday night, demanding the publication of the list of eligible and tainted candidates from the 2016 recruitment panel. Protesters surrounded SSC Chairman Siddhartha Majumdar and senior officials inside the Acharya Sadan building, refusing to let them exit. However, they allowed essential supplies such as water and medicines to be delivered to the officials inside.

The protest saw increased tension as the night progressed, with slogan-shouting continuing into Tuesday morning. The Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed alongside additional police personnel to manage the crowd. Several protesters fell ill due to dehydration and lack of adequate drinking water or refreshments near the SSC office. Police maintained a presence but reported incidents of pushing and shoving between the forces and protesters.

The SSC issued a statement late on Monday stating that it would follow the Supreme Court's order. State education minister Bratya Basu reiterated the SSC’s stance, saying, “The SSC had already announced its intention to maintain the apex court order.” He also advised eligible teachers to wait, mentioning that the state would file a review petition.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s order canceling the entire 2016 panel of teaching and non-teaching staff, citing the SSC's failure to submit a list of qualified and tainted candidates despite repeated requests. The 2016 recruitment affected about 26,000 appointments, including teachers and Group C and Group D staff. Former Calcutta High Court Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who had ordered the cancellation of around 6,000 appointments, stated there was no order from the Supreme Court to publish such a list.

The SSC had conducted 12 rounds of counselling following the 2016 state-level selection test for classes IX to XII. The first three rounds were held between December 2017 and August 2018, within the panel's one-year validity. The remaining rounds took place after the panel expired. On Tuesday, the Junior Doctors’ Forum, known for leading last year's protest over the RG Kar Medical College incident, pledged support to the protesting teachers.