Thousands of Teachers Stage Massive Protests in West Bengal Over Supreme Court-Ordered Mass Terminations
The agitation, sparked by the Supreme Court’s April 3, 2025, ruling upholding the Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel 25,753 teaching and non-teaching appointments
Thousands of teachers in West Bengal took to the streets of Kolkata yesterday, staging a protest march from Hazra to Kalighat against the Mamata Banerjee-led state government. The agitation, sparked by the Supreme Court’s April 3, 2025, ruling upholding the Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel 25,753 teaching and non-teaching appointments from the 2016 West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment, has left approximately 26,000 educators jobless.
The court deemed the selection process “vitiated and tainted” due to large-scale fraud, including OMR sheet manipulation and rank-jumping, affecting both tainted and untainted candidates.
Protesters, including many who claim to have been appointed on merit, expressed outrage over the mass terminations. Demonstrations outside the WBSSC office at Salt Lake have continued since April 9, with teachers alleging police brutality, including baton-charges and physical assaults during earlier protests at Kasba.
A relay hunger strike began outside the SSC’s ‘Acharya Sadan’ building, with agitators demanding the segregation of tainted and untainted candidates and the release of a comprehensive list. Despite the Supreme Court’s April 17 order allowing untainted teachers to continue until fresh recruitments by December 31, protests persist due to uncertainty and distrust.
Education Minister Bratya Basu indicated a list of terminated staff might be published, but protesters remain skeptical, citing unfulfilled promises. The crisis has strained West Bengal’s education system, with schools like Bhangwangola High School losing 21 of 62 teachers, threatening academic stability. Political tensions have escalated, with BJP leaders demanding Banerjee’s resignation, while the Chief Minister has vowed to support affected teachers, framing herself as a victim of political targeting.
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