West Bengal: People took to the streets against the decision of the Calcutta High Court in the teacher recruitment case. On Tuesday, about four thousand people protested at the Shaheed Minar ground in Kolkata, calling the High Court's decision invalid. The protesters include people whose teaching appointments have been canceled citing irregularities in the recruitment process. 

A five-member delegation of those who lost their jobs met officials of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education at its headquarters and discussed the situation. According to the agency, a board official said that the meeting lasted for more than two hours. We heard their issues. We sympathize with their situation but we have to follow the High Court's decision.

Speaking to reporters, Azharuddin Rocky, spokesperson of the retrenched teachers, said that we lost our jobs without any mistake. We had qualified for the exam based on our ability, and passed the written exam and oral exam. After the appointment, we took classes. During these days, no fingers were pointed against us.

He further said that if around 5,000 candidates allegedly resorted to unfair means (as stated in the CBI investigation) then why should we be bothered?

A bench of the Calcutta High Court on April 22 canceled 25,753 appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff in state government-sponsored and aided schools and the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process of State Level Selection Test (SLST), 2016. Declared invalid.

Soma Barik, another victim teacher from Purba Bardhaman district, said that I had left my job in a private English-medium school in 2017 after qualifying for a government job in a secondary school in my district.

He further said that I did not have money to bribe anyone, I had worked hard for the exam. Now I don't know what will happen to me and my family. I have three people to feed, including my elderly parents and younger brother. 

'Mamata Banerjee should be arrested...'

BJP leader Agnimitra Paul says that the entire panel of 2016 SSC recruitment is invalid. Has the state government woken up from its sleep now? Today about 26 thousand jobs were lost and the responsibility for this lies on the government. We want Mamata Banerjee to be arrested, there should be a CBI investigation because she may be aware of all this.

'It is a sin...'

West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose said that I was in a dilemma whether a highly educated person, especially the Education Minister, would do such a thing or not. I was shocked to see that such things had been done. The court's decision has proved that what I heard was correct. He further said that when we see corruption in the education system it is like robbing the future generation, which is a sin.