Bengal: After Calcutta HC's Sec 144 order, police vacate TET stir venue at midnight

The candidates, who are demanding appointment letters, have been on hunger strike for over 80 hours camping outside West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE)'s office at Karunamoyee in Salt Lake.

After the protesters refused to budge before police's appeal to vacate the site, they were driven away in buses despite their stiff resistance at midnight.

The protesters had appealed to the High Court Chief Justice to schedule a hearing of their plea at midnight.

The Chief Justice did not hear the plea.

Slamming the government over the police's action, Students' Federation of India (SFI) All India Joint Secretary Dipsita Dhar told India Blooms, "It's a very shameful incident. The protesters there were not criminals. It is the failure and fallacy of the government that they are not able to give them legit recruitment.

"Whatever Mamata Banerjee has done, it's just the continuation of the undemocratic nature, the way she is handling this government."

The protesters have been demanding job applications from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as per her "promise" without appearing for examinations afresh.

This comes at a time the Trinamool Congress government is cornered by the arrest of several party heavyweights including former education minister Partha Chatterjee over the teacher recruitment scam.

West Bengal Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, Suvendu Adhikari, tweeted, "WB's current situation is alarming.

"Mamata Police applying brute force on agitating candidates of Teacher Eligibility Test 2014 candidates at Salt Lake to forcefully end their legitimate sit-in demonstration near the State Primary Education Board Office. WB or Hitler's Germany?"