Candidates who cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exam in 2014 were staging a protest in front of the office of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) in Kolkata’s Karunamoyee. About 3,000 agitators were holding all-night demonstrations and were on an unrelenting hunger strike since Monday, October 17. Their main demand is quick recruitment at public schools.
However, following the Calcutta High Court order imposing Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the site on Thursday, October 20, the demonstrators were asked to withdraw their protests. When defiant protesters refused and disputed the ruling, a police force was deployed to remove the agitators and the area was cleared by midnight.
Why was Section 144 imposed?
These protesters were victims of the ongoing recruitment scam in West Bengal and they claimed that unethical hiring practices lost them eight years and a job they deserved. “Even after appearing for the interview twice, our marks or the merit lists were not disclosed to us. Our jobs went to undeserving candidates in exchange for money,” said protesting candidate Achintya Samanta, when EdexLive spoke to him on Wednesday, October 19. Manik Bhattacharya, the previous Chairman of the WBBPE, is detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his involvement in recruiting scams and irregularities.
The High Court order came after the WBBPE requested the intervention of the court alleging that the protests were impeding the regular operations of the board. Protesters, nevertheless, maintained that they did not block areas that would cause such disruption and were also peaceful. “We are 200 to 300 metres away from the gates of the office, in no way are we causing the board employees any issue,” said Achinta Dhara, another protester who spoke with EdexLive on October 19.
Detainment and manhandling of protesters
Dispersing of the demonstrators from the site intensified the situation and a spectacle ensued where protesters were forcefully dragged and detained by the Bidhannagar Police force, they claimed. “Many of the protesters sustained injury due to the manhandling and there was also an individual who tried to attempt suicide,” alleged Achinta Dhara, who is still in police custody along with two others. He further claims, “I will not be able to tell the seriousness of the injuries that were caused till I am released because I have not been able to reach out to individuals after that chaos. Right now, we are heading to the High Court for the hearing.”
Hospitalisation of Protesters due to continuous hunger strike
On Thursday, October 20, quite a few of the protesters had to be hospitalised when they fell ill after more than 90 hours of hunger strike. They were admitted to the nearby Bidhannagar Government Hospital in Salt Lake City and were on saline. Achinta Dhara, who was himself admitted, says, “Around 50 to 60 protesters fell sick yesterday and had to be transferred to the hospital.”
As per PTI reports, the State Education Minister Bratya Basu had asked the agitators to call off the protests and found vested political interests in the orchestration of the protests, which he said was instigated by political parties.
