BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay tears up letter to CM, BJP MLAs detained over Kasba lathi-charge on teachers

In protest against the police lathi-charge on jobless teachers in Kasba and other parts of West Bengal, BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay cancelled his scheduled meeting with Education Minister Bratya Basu on Wednesday at Bikash Bhavan. He was expected to submit a letter addressed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, proposing a solution for eligible SSC candidates who had lost their jobs. However, following reports of police action on protesting teachers across several districts, Gangopadhyay tore up the letter publicly and announced that submitting it had become “utterly meaningless.”

On Tuesday evening, Gangopadhyay and Bratya Basu had spoken during a discussion where a retired judge had proposed the formation of a committee to resolve the deadlock over the teacher recruitment issue. Both sides had agreed to a meeting at 2 PM the next day at Bikash Bhavan, where Gangopadhyay was to hand over the proposal in writing. Prior to the meeting, Gangopadhyay visited the SSC office and held discussions with the Chairperson. During this time, protests intensified in DI offices across multiple districts, leading to police lathi-charges, including on female protestors.

According to Gangopadhyay, “Today the state government has shown intolerance... After this incident, meeting the education minister and submitting the letter would be utterly meaningless.” He added, “We strongly condemn this police brutality. Mamata Banerjee is behaving like a feudal landlord... We will continue to stand with the deserving candidates who lost their jobs due to Mamata Banerjee’s corruption.” Following his statement, he tore up the letter meant for the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, BJP MLAs including Shankar Ghosh and Agnimitra Paul staged a protest outside Lalbazar in response to the police action. Police detained the protestors and placed them in prison vans, leading to brief commotion. BJP MLA Ashok Dinda also arrived at Lalbazar and was denied entry. He questioned, “Why can’t I go in? As a BJP MLA, I should have access.” Teachers in Kasba alleged that police not only used batons but also kicked them during the crackdown. Protests and unrest have been reported in districts including Cooch Behar, Barasat, Krishnanagar, Siliguri, and Murshidabad.