Kolkata, 05 June (H.S.):

Hundreds of Group 'C' and 'D' non-teaching staff, whose appointments were cancelled following a Supreme Court verdict on the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam, staged a rally on Thursday demanding reinstatement. The protest march began at Karunamoyee and culminated at Bikash Bhavan in Salt Lake, which houses the state education department headquarters.

Holding placards and raising slogans, the protestors claimed they had cleared the SSC examinations and possessed all valid documents, yet were declared ineligible and terminated from their jobs. “We passed the exams according to the rules. Then why have we been removed while the real culprits roam free?” questioned one of the demonstrators.

Another protestor added, “We demand transparency and fairness. Why are genuine candidates being lumped together with those involved in corruption?”

The agitating group also expressed dismay over not receiving the temporary monthly allowance promised by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. They urged the government to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate appointments so that innocent employees are not penalized unjustly.

In view of the rally, heavy police deployment was arranged around Bikash Bhavan to prevent any untoward incident.

The protestors announced plans to submit a memorandum to the education department soon. “We have no other option left. Many of our families are on the brink of starvation,” they said.

It is noteworthy that on April 3, the Supreme Court declared a total of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching appointments in the 2016 SSC recruitment process as illegal due to widespread irregularities. Since the ruling, many affected candidates have been consistently protesting and demanding reappointment.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh