The BJP on Friday launched a blistering attack on West Bengal's TMC government, calling the police action on agitating school teachers a day ago, a "horrifying display of brutality".
The demonstration, led by jobless teachers who had cleared the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) exam but lost their appointments following a recent court order, escalated outside Bikash Bhavan — the headquarters of the state education department — on Thursday.
Protesters alleged that many of them were beaten up during a baton-charge by the police, and several sustained serious injuries.
Among the injured was a woman teacher whose leg was reportedly broken, while another suffered a head injury.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the injured women lay on the ground, screaming in pain and sobbing, as the police continued the lathi-charge instead of offering help.
Amid mounting outrage, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of authoritarianism and shielding the corrupt.
“If the cabinet decides to protect thieves, then those in the council of ministers should be in jail,” Adhikari said.
“This issue is close to my heart because I got my first job through this very exam. Yesterday, a university gold medallist was crying because of Mamata Banerjee. If anyone is responsible for that, it is Mamata Banerjee and her entire cabinet," the BJP leader claimed.
Adhikari alleged that honest and deserving candidates had been denied jobs despite their qualifications, while recruitment was "manipulated for political gain".
He also accused the police of acting at the behest of the ruling party, instead of protecting citizens.
Echoing Adhikari's sentiments, BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said, "Mamata Banerjee’s advisors told her to mix milk with water so that no one can differentiate them — meaning, protect the guilty by lumping them with the innocent. But the court exposed this trick...the police action on protesting teachers was a horrifying display of brutality." He further added, “Mamata Banerjee has turned West Bengal into a marketplace — if you want to buy a teaching job, just pay money. Those who are eligible should instead be given compensation from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.” A fresh wave of protests erupted on Friday morning as many of the injured returned to the demonstration site, demanding immediate reinstatement.
Protesters from the Deserving Teachers' Rights Forum said they would not accept a fresh recruitment test and insisted on being given back the jobs they earned through merit.
Teachers participating in the protest said they spent the night outside Bikash Bhavan, braving injuries and discomfort.
"We are not going anywhere until justice is served," one protester said.
Tensions remain high around the Education Department building, with a heavy deployment of police in the complex.