Sourav Ganguly declines protest invite from jobless teachers, says “please don’t involve me in politics”

Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has politely declined an invitation from a group of dismissed teachers to join their protest march to Nabanna, the West Bengal state secretariat, scheduled for April 21. The teachers, affected by the recent Supreme Court decision on the 2016 WBSSC recruitment scam, had sought support from prominent public figures to highlight their cause.

On Tuesday, a group of these teachers visited Ganguly’s Behala residence with the hope of personally handing him an invitation. They were among the 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff whose appointments in state-sponsored and aided schools were annulled by the Supreme Court citing widespread irregularities in the recruitment process.

However, before they could meet Ganguly, police intervened and took the group to a nearby police station to discuss procedural issues regarding their invitation. The teachers reportedly refused to simply leave the invite at Ganguly's office, insisting on a personal meeting.

Responding to the outreach, 52-year-old Sourav Ganguly conveyed his message through a brief statement: "Please don't involve me in politics," he told a media outlet. Ganguly has maintained a consistent distance from political controversies over the years, despite being one of Bengal’s most celebrated figures.

The dismissed teachers are staging protests across the state, claiming that their termination was unjust and appealing for support from all quarters. Many are hopeful that the involvement of public personalities could add weight to their demands for reconsideration.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already met with representatives of the jobless teachers earlier this month, asking them to keep their faith in her government’s efforts to find a solution.