Baby Chakraborty, KalimNews, Kolkata, April 10, 2025 : Tensions escalated outside the School Service Commission (SSC) office, also known as Acharya Sadan, on Wednesday night as police used force to disperse a group of jobless teachers staging a protest. Despite police baton charges and physical confrontation, including reports of some officers kicking protesters, the demonstrators remained undeterred and vowed to continue their agitation.
The protest, which reignited late Wednesday evening just before 10 PM, saw a group of job aspirants gathering outside the SSC office demanding transparency and justice in the teacher recruitment process. Protesters stated their intent to spend the night at the protest site and reiterated their core demands, including the publication of the mirror image of their Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets and the release of the list of ineligible candidates.
Following the onset of the protest, police arrived at the location and attempted to engage with the demonstrators. In a bid to enforce legal compliance, authorities posted a notice outside Acharya Sadan under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a provision often invoked to disperse unlawful gatherings. However, the protesters made it clear that they had no intention of leaving the premises.
The demonstration drew political attention as well, with BJP Member of Parliament and former judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay arriving at the protest site during the night to show solidarity with the demonstrators. His presence further emboldened the protestors, who criticized the government for its silence and refusal to meet their demands.
“Our only demand is for the mirror image of the OMR sheet to be published. We will not stop until that happens,” one protester declared, emphasizing their determination to continue the sit-in protest. Many of the demonstrators expressed that the only way forward was complete transparency in the recruitment process — a demand that, so far, the state government has been unwilling to concede.
This renewed wave of protest adds to the ongoing turmoil surrounding teacher recruitment in West Bengal, a contentious issue that has seen widespread legal, political, and social ramifications over the past year. As the protest continues outside Acharya Sadan, public attention remains fixed on how the state government will respond in the coming days.