Teachers Demand Justice: Protest Ignites Over Invalidated Appointments

Protests erupted outside the WBSSC office as staff affected by a Supreme Court ruling demanded the publication of candidates' results from the 2016 SSC recruitment test. Participants insist on this action to confirm their eligibility, following the invalidation of thousands of appointments due to irregularities.

Hundreds of teaching and non-teaching staff took to the streets outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office in protest on Monday. This followed a Supreme Court decision on April 3 that invalidated their appointments, provoking demands for the immediate publication of the 2016 SSC recruitment test qualified candidates list.

The Education Minister, Bratya Basu, announced on April 11 that the WBSSC would reveal a separate list of candidates with and without irregularities on its website within two weeks. Despite assurances from WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar and Basu, protestors claimed that the promised list had not appeared by the April 21 deadline.

Marching from Karunamoyee Central Park to the WBSSC headquarters, protestors staged a sit-in. "We won't leave until the WBSSC publishes the comprehensive list today," declared Sutapa Malick, a teacher affected by the ruling. Meanwhile, the Deserving Teachers Rights Forum reiterated the need for official acknowledgment of their eligibility to terminate ongoing uncertainty.

(With inputs from agencies.)