Kolkata, April 15 -- The death of a school teacher in South 24-Parganas has led to a wave of false claims on social media linking him to the cancelled SSC-2016 recruitment panel. Police and school officials have confirmed that the teacher was not among the 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff who recently lost their jobs following a Supreme Court verdict.

Pranab Pratim Naiya, a Bengali teacher at T.S. Sanatan High School in Sarberia, Jaynagar, was found dead at his home under the Kultali Police Station area on Tuesday morning. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and said early investigation points to suicide due to personal and family-related issues.

However, soon after news of his death emerged, social media posts claimed that Naiya was one of the teachers who had lost their jobs, a claim authorities refuted as baseless. Palash Chandra Dhali, Superintendent of Police, Baruipur Police District, addressed the media on Tuesday, confirming that Naiya had no connection with the cancelled 2016 recruitment panel. "He was appointed assistant teacher in April 2015 through the 2012 recruitment process of the West Bengal School Service Commission," Dhali said. "He initially joined a school in Murshidabad and was later transferred to his current posting through the Utsashree portal in 2022." Dhali added that Naiya had attended school on Saturday, April 12, with no reports or records of suspension or dismissal. "The claim that he lost his job is completely false," he said. Authorities have also raised concerns about the spread of misinformation online. "We have identified 30 to 40 social media accounts spreading rumours falsely linking Naiya's death to the SSC-2016 case," Dhali said. "Strict legal action is being taken against individuals responsible for spreading these rumours."

He urged the public to verify the authenticity of any photos, videos or information before posting online.

Meanwhile, protests by affected candidates continue. A rally was held in Kolkata on Bengali New Year, and a group of 65 teachers is travelling to Delhi to hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.