'Resume teaching without worrying': Mamata Banerjee to job losers camped outside SSC office

Mamata assured the teachers of no pause in monthly salaries at a time the teaching and non-teaching staff are camped outside the School Service Commission (SSC) office in Kolkata's Salt Lake area, demanding separate lists of "tainted" and "untainted" candidates from the 2016 recruitment panel.

"I would appeal to the teachers to conduct classes without any worry. Please resume teaching. The government will give the salary, not the ones who created this crisis," said Mamata and added, "Please trust us. We will be the ones who will give back the jobs."

"There are some people who are demanding lists of tainted and untainted candidates. Why are they worrying about the lists? Teachers can resume their classes. Let the state government take care of the lists," she said at a government programme in Medinipur.

Protesters camp outside SSC office

The job losers began their indefinite sit-in protest and gheraoed SSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar after the commission reportedly told them candidates selected till third counsel will be allowed to continue their service until December 31, 2025 as per the Supreme Court order.

The Supreme Court last week allowed West Bengal government teachers, who have not been identified as "tainted" in the School Service Commission (SSC) scam, to continue working till fresh appointments.

However, the SSC is yet to completely segregate the lists of "tainted" and "untainted" candidates who were recruited in 2016.

A little over 6,000 candidates have so far been identified as "tainted" but court dismissed the entire 2016 recruitment panel after SSC couldn't furnish the total list of undeserving candidates.

The protesters, who are camped outside SSC office, clashed with police multiple times since last evening when they claimed to have been told by the commission, candidates who appeared from fourth counselling won't be eligible.

"We will camp outside the SSC office and won't let the chairman leave. We have lost everything so we won't back down," one of the protesters said in fury.

"The SSC, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Education Minister Bratya Basu will have to accept their mistakes and pay us Rs. 2 crore each as compensation," another protester added.

Some protesters alleged police elbowed women in the agitation during the clash in absence of female cops.

West Bengal junior doctors, who had staged a massive anti-government protests over the RG Kar rape-murder last year, visited the place and offered their support to the job losers.

Speaking to ABP Ananda, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu said the lists can't be provided until the review petition is filed in the Supreme Court by the state government for a reconsideration of the job nullification order.

What did the Supreme Court say last week?

The top court bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the fresh recruitment process will have to be initiated by May 31 with an advertisement and an affidavit in the court.

The deadline to complete the recruitment process has been set as December 31.

In the meantime, only class 9-12 teachers, who have not been identified as tainted, out of almost 26,000 job losers have been allowed to continue with their services.

The court said the relief has been granted keeping in mind the students' plight.

The court also mentioned that it can recall its order if the fresh recruitment process is not initiated by May 31.

No such relief has been given to Group C and Group D candidates who too have lost their jobs due to the Supreme Court's April 3 order.