The siege by the sacked school teachers outside the school service commission office, which started on Monday, will continue despite the commission coming out with a list of teachers eligible to return to school.
The list says 15,400 teachers among those sacked by the Supreme Court on April 3 will be allowed to go to school till December 31.
The segregation, however, failed to pacify the teachers.
Chinmoy Mandal, a member of the Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum that has been spearheading the protests, said: “The SSC has made it clear that 15,400 teachers, regardless of which round of counselling they attended, will be able to go to school and draw their salaries. But are we satisfied with the relief? No. Getting salaries for eight months was not our objective. The government has to ensure that we can continue to work in the schools till we turn 60, which is the age of retirement. Until that happens, we will continue our gherao.”
The teachers started their siege on Monday night, alleging that SSC chairperson Siddhartha Majumdar told them a segregated list would comprise only those who participated in the first three rounds of counselling, in which candidates from a valid panel were called.
The aggrieved teachers said the SSC authorities told them that those who attended the remaining nine rounds of counselling would not feature in the segregated list as the panel had expired by then.
“We are relieved that the commission has drawn up a list of the untainted (not specifically found to be tainted) teachers, regardless of which round of counselling we attended. But this relief of eight months does not make much sense and our protests will continue,” said Mandal, a former English teacher at a school in Halisahar, North 24-Parganas.
The protesting teachers were calling their colleagues late on Tuesday to block the gates of the SSC office to prevent chairperson Siddhartha Majumdar from leaving.
“Why is the gathering getting scattered? We should have blocked both gates... The SSC chairperson must not be allowed to leave office. Remember our fight has not ended,” a protester said on a loudhailer standing atop a small pick-up van.
“We are relieved that the tainted have been purged from the list that has been drawn up by the SSC. If we are to go to school till December, we won’t have to share space with the tainted. But this relief is temporary. What will happen to us after December 31? We have to be reinstated with full honours now that we have been certified untainted (not specifically found tainted). Till that happens, the protests will go on,” said protester Sangita Saha.
Calls and text messages to the Majumdar went unanswered.
Sources in the SSC said he was getting the paperwork ready for the Calcutta High Court hearing on Wednesday.
The high court on Monday drew up contempt proceedings against the Bengal school education department and asked the state’s counsel whether school staff sacked by a Supreme Court order on April 3 were still getting salaries.
The SSC has been made a party to the case.
The teachers remained in front of the SSC office through Tuesday, braving the hot and humid weather.
They took turns to address the gathering that occupied the roads and pavements around Acharya Sadan, the commission headquarters.
Many were glued to their phones to listen to what chief minister Mamata Banerjee and education minister Bratya Basu were saying about their protests
When Mamata and Bratya urged them to return to school, many cried out: “Amader ei lorai cholchhe, cholbe (Our fight is on and will continue).”
Representatives of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, constituted following the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last year, were present at the protest site. They distributed khichdi, ORS and water among the protesters.
