1 day Ago
KOLKATA : School teachers who attacked policemen and vandalised government property outside the West Bengal education department’s Salt Lake office on Thursday night will be identified and booked, Jawed Shamim, additional director general of police (law and order) said on Friday. “Nineteen police personnel were injured. While 18 sustained minor injuries, one is in serious condition.
We have security camera footage of the entire incident. Those who indulged in violence and vandalism will be identified and booked,” Shamim said. Several people were injured on Thursday night when a group of teachers who lost their jobs following the Supreme Court’s April 3 order in the bribe-for-job case clashed with policemen who tried to remove their road blockade outside Bikash Bhawan.
Thursday’s agitation was called to demand that all non-tainted teachers be allowed to continue in service without any conditions. The teachers alleged that two of their colleagues sustained fractures on their legs after the baton charge. Bikash Bhawan houses 56 other government departments as well.
Around 500 people work at the complex. The agitators blocked all entrances to Bikash Bhawan around noon. As a result, all employees and visitors were locked in.
As the standoff continued, the police requested the agitators around 8.30 pm to let the employees and visitors leave but the teachers refused. “As government employees, we have full sympathy for those who lost jobs but law is for everybody.
We respected the emotions of the agitators and showed extreme patience from 11am to 8.30pm. But when we were trying to evacuate the trapped people, stones and bottles were pelted.
A government staffer suffered a head injury. We did not use any force until then,” Shamim said. “We did not use water cannons, tear gas etc.
because these come in later stages of escalation. Yes, lathi (baton) charge is also a use of force but it was a dynamic situation. It is not possible to measure the quantum of force to be used or not to be used on a minute-to-minute scale.
The unrest continued well beyond midnight,” Shamim added. “If we intended not to let them hold an agitation, we wouldn’t let it continue today,” he said. “The agitators violated the law first when they broke the barricades and laid a siege on Bikash Bhawan.
Who would have taken the responsibility if something happened to the pregnant lady who was inside? It almost became a hostage-like situation,” said Shamim. Suman Biswas, one of the teachers, accused the police of using excessive force. “The police acted like barbarians.
Women were assaulted as well. Two teachers are in hospital with fractured legs. A third has suffered an eye injury.
” On April 3, the division bench of Chief Justice of India scrapped the appointments of all 2016-batch school teachers and Group-C and D staff saying there was no way to segregate the tainted from the non-tainted. On an appeal by the state, the top court allowed the non-tainted teachers to continue in service until December 31. The court also directed the state to start a fresh recruitment process by May 31 and complete it in three months.
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