WBSSC job scam: Protesting teachers march to Bengal secretariat, heavy security placed

West Bengal secretariat of Nabanna at Mandirtala in Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district and the area around it was covered under security blanket on Monday following the “march to state secretariat” rally by the 'untainted' teachers who lost jobs following a Supreme Court order cancelling 25,753 school jobs in the state.

The call for the rally has been given by 'Jogyo Shikshak-Shikshika Adhikar Mancha (Untainted Teachers’ Rights Forum)', the umbrella body spearheading the movement on this issue.

The members of the group will assemble near Howrah station at around noon and then start marching towards the state secretariat. The police have taken all necessary measures to prevent the protesters from reaching anywhere near the state secretariat.

Barricades have been raised at the entry points of all the approachways to the state secretariat. Even the roads leading to the state secretariat from the nearby railway stations have also been put under a security cover.

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Additional CCTV cameras have been installed in the entire area around the state secretariat premises. Additional police personnel have been deployed both within the state secretariat and the adjacent areas to prevent the situation from getting out of control.

Incidentally, a crucial meeting of the West Bengal cabinet is also scheduled at the state secretariat in the afternoon. The forum representatives have claimed that neither the state government nor the West Bengal School Service Commission has been able to provide a reply to their demand for publishing the segregated lists of “untainted” and “tainted” teachers.

“Had the segregated lists been published, we would not have faced such sufferings. Instead, the state government is going all out to protect the ‘tainted’ teachers. So we are left with no other option but to give the call for this ‘march to the secretariat’ agitation,” said a forum representative.

On 3 April, a Supreme Court bench comprising then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a previous order of the Calcutta High Court that annulled 25,753 school appointments made through the WBSSC.

The apex court observed that the panel had to be scrapped entirely due to the authorities' failure to distinguish between "tainted" and "untainted" candidates.

The state government and the WBSSC have since filed review petitions in the Supreme Court seeking reconsideration of the order.