Kolkata Braces for Protests: Security Heightened at Nabanna Amid Teacher Unrest

Kolkata, July 14 (PTI) A heightened security presence will be in effect around the state secretariat 'Nabanna' in Howrah this Monday as former teachers whose positions were revoked following a Supreme Court decision plan to march in protest for their reinstatement, according to a senior police official.

The 'Joggya Sikkhak Sikkhika Adhikar Mancha' (Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum) has not yet finalized their protest route, but Howrah City Police have already stationed officers at key points to ensure law and order, particularly focusing on entry routes to Nabanna.

"Our main goal is to prevent any significant disruption to daily life and maintain control over the situation. Iron barricades have been set up at four pivotal locations in Howrah to stop protesters from proceeding to the state secretariat," said the officer.

Strategic barriers have been placed at Bangabashi Crossing on GT Road, Ramkrishnapur Ghat Gate on Foreshore Road, Kazipara Crossing, and Satragachi Crossing, he added.

"Prohibitory orders are in place around Nabanna, and the gathering of people is not allowed in this area. We've implemented additional security measures in anticipation of the planned protest," he confirmed.

Approximately 2,000 police officers from multiple commissionerates are being deployed throughout Howrah, alongside Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel positioned at crucial spots. Water cannons are on standby to counter any attempts to breach police barricades.

The forum is urging the state to release lists of "untainted certified teachers" along with OMR sheets and restore the positions of eligible teachers.

Chinmoy Mondal, the forum's spokesperson, asserted that they were resolved to carry out the protest despite the possibility of police intervention.

"This is our democratic right. We expect the state government to meet our demands," Mondal stated.

Teachers planning to convene at Howrah station have been protesting for 68 days near Central Park in Salt Lake, following earlier demonstrations at Bikash Bhavan, home to the state education department.

The Supreme Court, on April 3, upheld a 2024 Calcutta High Court judgment that annulled the recruitment of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff appointed via a 2016 SSC recruitment drive, citing a 'vitiated and tainted' selection process.

Those left jobless claim that their current predicament is due to the School Service Commission’s (SSC) failure to distinguish between candidates who fraudulently obtained jobs and those who did not.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) previously arrested former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and other officials involved in the SSC during the period when irregularities occurred in the recruitment process.

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