Kolkata, 12 May (H.S.) -The ‘Yogyya Shikshak-Shikshika Adhikar Manch’, a collective of teachers whose appointments were recently cancelled in West Bengal, has announced plans to escalate their ongoing protest by launching a full-scale blockade of the state education department headquarters in Salt Lake from May 15.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the organization declared that after a week of peaceful sit-in demonstrations outside the education department, they would now adopt a more aggressive approach. The group plans to blockade the headquarters from all sides as a mark of protest.
These teachers, who were employed at the secondary and higher secondary levels, lost their jobs following a Supreme Court verdict upholding the Calcutta High Court’s order cancelling 25,753 teaching appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). The apex court, in a judgment delivered on April 3, 2025, by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, observed that the state authorities and WBSSC failed to differentiate between eligible and ineligible candidates, leading to the annulment of the entire selection list.
Since May 7, the dismissed teachers have been staging a peaceful protest near the education department’s office. However, the group claims that despite repeated requests, no official meeting with Education Minister Bratya Basu has materialized. Frustrated by the silence from authorities, the organization has now shifted to a strategy of confrontation.
“We have waited patiently for a dialogue. With no response from the minister or officials, we are left with no choice but to intensify our protest,” the statement read.
The Manch has also appealed to the public to join their movement in solidarity, asserting that their demand is rooted in the pursuit of justice and transparency.
The state government and the WBSSC have filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the verdict. The protesting teachers have demanded transparency regarding the status and progress of the review plea, urging the government to keep them informed.
Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh
