Kolkata, April 21 -- Fresh complications over the release of 'tainted' and 'untainted' teacher lists triggered intense protests outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office in Salt Lake on Monday. Thousands of teachers appointed through the 2016 recruitment process laid effective siege to the office by staging a sit-in at its gates, demanding certified lists of eligible appointees.
Aggrieved teachers, under the banner of Jogya Shikshak Shikshika Adhikar Mancha, marched from Karunamoyee to the WBSSC office in the afternoon. Initially, they held a sit-in on the main road outside the commission's premises, raising slogans and delivering speeches throughout the day.
The agitation intensified after reports emerged that WBSSC would release certified lists of 'tainted' and 'untainted' candidates only up to the third phase of counselling for Classes IX-X and the second phase for Classes XI-XII. This came as a blow to many, as recruitment had taken place over many counselling phases.
A 13-member delegation of protestors entered the WBSSC office to seek clarification and met chairman Siddhartha Majumder. According to Arghya Pal, a member of the group, the chairman informed them that, as per recruitment rules, the panel's validation is limited to one year from the date of its publication. Only those who secured jobs through counselling rounds held within that timeframe would be certified. The commission stated it could not certify those appointed in the later rounds. Tensions first flared when police tried to stop the delegation from entering the WBSSC office, leading to a brief scuffle before they were eventually allowed inside. However, once the chairman's stance was conveyed to the protesters outside, the agitation escalated. Protesters surged towards the entry and exit gates of the SSC office, overwhelmed the police presence and sat down in front of the premises, effectively blocking access. Teachers argued that for classes IX-X, eight counselling rounds were held, followed by five more under court directives. For classes XI-XII, seven rounds took place. However, only the first few rounds fell within the panel's one-year validation period. Shilpi Chakraborty, a teacher from North 24 Parganas, expressed her frustration: "We've learnt that SSC will certify only the first three counselling rounds for classes IX-X and two rounds for XI-XII. This division is being made based on a legal opinion. But why should we suffer because the later rounds were delayed? That's not our fault. We want an official list certifying who is eligible and who isn't."
Protesters maintained that they would not withdraw until the WBSSC officially certifies all eligible appointees, regardless of the counselling phase in which they were appointed.
As of late Monday night, the gherao continued outside the commission gates, with senior officials, including the chairman, still inside.
Millennium Post was still awaiting an official statement from the WBSSC chairman at the time of going to press.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.