Why Are Eligible Teachers in Kolkata Protesting Despite Being Cleared?

Kolkata witnessed a wave of outcry as nearly 500 teachers, who were declared eligible, took to the streets demanding justice after losing their jobs due to a Supreme Court verdict. These pedagogues were among the 26k whose appointments were annulled after the court deemed the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process as vitiated and corrupt.

The protesters argue that they are being unjustly treated and lumped together with those who gained jobs through fraudulent means. Speaking to PTI, Mehboob Mondal, a representative of the 'Jogyo Sikshak Manch' (Eligible Teachers Forum), said, “We hit the streets to voice the demands of deserving teachers that they should not be penalised for the failure of the School Service Commission (SSC) to differentiate between the deserving and tainted candidates who sat for the recruitment tests in 2016 and got appointment letters.”

Mondol shared that their peaceful demonstration turned hostile when police allegedly resorted to lathi-charge and physical aggression. “We can't even protest democratically against the snatching of our jobs due to large-scale corruption by the state government. So, where should we go now? We are on the road,finding no other alternative,” he lamented.

When asked about joining another group of hunger-striking teachers outside the SSC office, Mondol replied that their decision would depend on whether those protestors were also genuinely eligible. “If they are also eligible, we will be with them. Let us find out,” he added. He clarified that their forum is not connected with the teachers staging a sit-in at the Sahid Minar but expressed solidarity with any legitimate demand.

Two separate rallies were held—one from Sealdah and another via Central Avenue—both converging at Esplanade. Protestors, holding signs like “We want our job back” and “SSC should come out with the list of tainted/untainted candidates,” marched peacefully under heavy police surveillance.

The Supreme Court, on April 3, upheld a Calcutta High Court ruling that canceled the appointment of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff, citing the recruitment as entirely tainted. The teachers affected by this row claim the root issues lie in SSC’s failure to separate genuine candidates from those who used dishonest means.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former education minister Partha Chatterjee and others involved in the scam. As the fiasco unfolds, many deserving candidates now face an uncertain future, questioning the credibility of recruitment systems that should have secured their livelihoods.