Bengal protesting teachers vow not to sit for fresh tests, to take agitation to Delhi

Kolkata, May 26 (PTI) Vowing not to sit for fresh recruitment tests, the protesting teachers — terminated on April 3 following a Supreme Court order invalidating the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff of state-aided schools — on Monday announced plans to take their agitation beyond West Bengal to the national capital.

"In the coming days, apart from continuing our protests here in the city, we wish to let the nation know about the injustice meted out to thousands of eligible teachers who had qualified in the 2016 SSC exams by their own merit and qualification," said Brindaban Ghosh, a member of the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum.

"Why should untainted teachers continue to be penalised for the illegalities committed by a section of candidates? Why can’t the available mirror OMR images be used to differentiate between the ‘tainted’ and ‘untainted’?" He was part of a six-member delegation that met Principal Education Secretary Vinod Kumar and Secretary Subhra Chakraborty.

"We are not ready for any fresh tests after such gruelling preparations for the 2016 WBSSC recruitment examinations and being considered eligible for the jobs," Ghosh asserted.

"If a small percentage was involved in illegalities, why should every eligible candidate be victimised?", he said.

He added, "With all humility, we again urge the state government to ensure that the tainted ones are singled out by checking every OMR sheet of about 26,000 candidates." Another forum member Habibur Rahman said, "Even if there was miscommunication between the SC bench and the state over the issue in previous hearings, we now humbly urge the apex court to consider our situation from a humanitarian point of view." Expressing regret that neither Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor Education Minister Bratya Basu sat with them to listen to their demands, Rahman said, "The two top education officials voiced their sympathy about our situation. They said they would communicate with the government regarding our stand." "But there are certain issues which can only be addressed at the ministerial level. We will send a fresh mail to the Education Minister by tomorrow requesting a face-to-face discussion," he added.

Asked about the SC directive for the SSC to issue a fresh notification regarding the 2016 recruitment by May 31, Ghosh responded, "We don’t want any new notification. Let the government consult legal experts to communicate our situation to the Hon’ble judges. We pray the state submits before the SC the formation of a new panel containing names of untainted candidates." Ghosh also noted that several affected teaching and non-teaching staff members are suffering from serious health conditions, including cancer, and urged the state and the SC to consider these humanitarian concerns.

He said bureaucrats informed the delegation that review petitions about the April 3 order were being initiated by the SSC and the state government.

"However, we were told that the listing process in the SC is beyond the control of the state government. We urged them to expedite the matter with the state’s lawyers. The ball is in the SC’s court now," Ghosh said.

Asked whether the discussions were positive, Ghosh said, "We cannot say that. Several issues came up for discussion. The government clarified its stance on what it can and cannot do under the current circumstances." The protesting teachers have been staging a sit-in near Bikash Bhavan for the past 20 days, demanding reinstatement.

Tensions escalated on May 15 when around 1,000 protestors entered the Bikash Bhavan compound and refused to allow state employees to leave until they received assurances that no fresh recruitment tests would be required.

Police later resorted to a lathi-charge, leaving several protestors injured.

On Sunday, Basu urged the protestors to place their faith in the government, assuring them that all legal avenues were being explored to resolve the crisis.

He reiterated that "untainted" teachers — those who lost their jobs due to procedural lapses in the 2016 recruitment — would continue to receive salaries and remain in service until the fresh recruitment process concludes by December 31.

Basu also cautioned the protestors "not to fall prey to political motives." The Supreme Court had invalidated the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff of state-aided schools, deeming the recruitment process "vitiated and tainted." PTI SUS BSM BDC MNB