Clash at Bikash Bhawan: Sacked Teachers Storm Kolkata HQ, Demand Justice in SSC Scam Fallout

Kolkata's Bikash Bhawan turned into a tinderbox on Thursday when hundreds of teachers, who were just fired recently after the Supreme Court order revoking 25,752 school appointments owing to the SSC recruitment scam, had a riotous battle with West Bengal police. The agitating teachers-most of whom say they were innocent-burst through barricades, rampaged through the main gates, and sat on a dharna, demanding that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee step in and restore them to their posts.

 

Police retaliated with lathi-charges, wounding some teachers, including women, and leaving some bleeding; officers also were reportedly hurt during the melee. Protesters rejected the suggestion by the Supreme Court of a re-exam, refusing to accept a separate list of "tainted" and "untainted" personnel and declining to give re-tests for posts they claim they won honestly. The standoff, marked by emotional appeals and charges of government inaction, refuses to subside.

 

Source: Economic Times, Indian Express, NDTV