Kolkata, 12 March (H.S.): Hundreds of upper primary school job aspirants from the 2016 panel staged a protest outside the West Bengal education department headquarters in Salt Lake on Thursday, demanding immediate counselling and recruitment, officials said.

The protesters, seeking appointment for around 1,251 candidates who are yet to be recruited despite court orders, marched towards Bikash Bhavan, the state education department headquarters, to press for their demands.

The police, however, stopped them near barricades placed outside the building and did not allow them to proceed further.

Tension escalated when a section of protesters attempted to bypass the barricades by taking a side road and tried to enter the Bikash Bhavan premises. Security personnel blocked them at the main gate, leading to a brief confrontation, officials said.

After failing to enter the premises, the aspirants, including a large number of women, sat on the road and staged a demonstration, disrupting traffic in the area for some time.

The protesters alleged that despite clear court directives in their favour, the authorities have not started the counselling process or issued appointment letters.

They demanded that counselling be conducted immediately and appointments be given without further delay.

The police remained deployed in the area to maintain law and order, officials added.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey