Kolkata: Clashes Break Out Between Teachers, Police At Education Department HQ; Several Injured

Protesting teachers, dismissed due to recruitment irregularities, clashed violently with police near Vikash Bhavan in Salt Lake. Police used lathi-charge to disperse the teachers demanding reinstatement, resulting in injuries on both sides.

The area around Vikash Bhavan, which is the headquarters of the West Bengal Education Department in Salt Lake, turned into a virtual battlefield on Thursday evening following a series of violent clashes between protesting school teachers and police. According to news agency PTI, police allegedly resorted to lathi-charge to remove the agitators, who laid siege before the government building.

Many teachers were injured following the police action, which persisted for over an hour and in repeated phases. According to the report, a number of police personnel were also injured in the violence, and some of them had to be carried out of the area by their colleagues.

The teachers, who lost jobs following a court order last month that cancelled thousands of appointments in the government-aided schools due to irregularities in the recruitment process, had been protesting and demanding reinstatement.

According to news agency PTI quoting a police officer, tensions arose around 8 pm when additional police forces were deployed, and an attempt was made to disperse the demonstrators using lathi-charge. The police action reportedly followed after a few hundred education department employees, who remained stuck inside the Bikash Bhavan premises in the wake of the on-going agitation, failed to get past the protestors.

News agency PTI also reported that teachers alleged that they were dragged away despite peacefully staging the protest, with some lying down on the road to resist eviction. Several protestors were also seen getting dragged by their collars from inside the building premises and shoved into police vehicles where they were detained.

Earlier in the day, some protestors reportedly broke open a gate and entered the premises of the Vikash Bhavan, triggering chaos. Over a hundred state government employees were stranded inside and later escorted out by police.

"We will not sit for a fresh exam. Our demand is clear — our jobs must be restored. We will not leave until the Chief Minister herself speaks to us," said Mehbub Mondal, one of the protestors.

"First they take away our jobs by resorting to institutional corruption. Then they unleash their police force on us to spill our blood," said another teacher whose shirt was all torn from the scuffle.

Speaking to reporters, a senior police officer said, "Police are doing their job. The higher ups will give a statement."

(With inputs from PTI)