Hunger Strike, Protest March: Thousands of Sacked Bengal Teachers Hit Streets
Thousands of dismissed school teachers in West Bengal took to the streets on Friday, launching a protest march towards the School Service Commission (SSC) Bhawan and beginning a relay hunger strike. The demonstrations come days after the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict cancelling over 25,000 teaching appointments due to alleged recruitment irregularities.
Waving placards and chanting slogans, the protesters demanded that the SSC release Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets to identify genuine candidates who had appeared for the 2016 SSC examination. Their key demand is the segregation of “eligible” candidates from those who allegedly benefitted from corruption in the recruitment process.
“We are not asking for anything unlawful. We only want the SSC to disclose our OMR sheets. That will prove who deserves to keep the job,” a protester told PTI.
A heavy police presence, including Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, was deployed to manage the escalating protests. Tensions flared earlier in the week when police resorted to lathicharge to disperse demonstrators in Kolkata’s Kasba area. A video of sub-inspector Ritan Das kicking a protester went viral, drawing widespread condemnation. Das has since been removed from active duty, and an inquiry has been initiated.
However, the protesters expressed skepticism over the fairness of the probe, pointing out that Das has also been assigned to investigate the very cases filed against the demonstrators. “What kind of justice is this? The accused cannot investigate the victims,” a protester remarked.
The unfolding crisis has become a key flashpoint in West Bengal’s political landscape, with the opposition BJP accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government of mishandling the recruitment process. The BJP has also seized on the protests to step up pressure ahead of the 2026 state assembly elections.
In response, Mamata Banerjee has publicly extended support to the dismissed teachers. Addressing them earlier this week, she said, “No one has received any termination letter yet. So continue with your work. No eligible candidate will be jobless.”
She added that she would fight for the rights of genuine candidates “as long as I am alive—even if it means going to jail.”
Despite her assurances, the protestors have refused to back down, accusing the government of inaction and delaying tactics. With the issue gaining traction on social media and public anger mounting, the government now faces a tough challenge in balancing legal rulings, administrative actions, and political sensitivities.
