Baby Chakraborty, KalimNews, June 16, 2025, Kolkata : A major protest took place today near the West Bengal Legislative Assembly as thousands rallied to demand immediate reinstatement of 32,965 teachers and school assistants who lost their jobs following a landmark verdict delivered by the Calcutta High Court on April 6, 2026. The ruling, which impacted candidates appointed under the Primary and School Assistant (Vidyalayasathi) recruitment process, has left thousands unemployed, many of whom had been serving in primary education roles after clearing the 2009 Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).
The affected educators, most of whom had secured jobs after a long and competitive selection process, are now facing acute financial and mental hardship. Reports of rising stress-related health issues and even suicides have surfaced among the dismissed personnel, prompting urgent calls for intervention.
To draw attention to their plight and press for a solution, the group of dismissed teachers and education workers staged a peaceful campaign near the Vidhan Sabha. Their primary demand was the immediate reinstatement of all 32,965 affected individuals and a permanent resolution to the issue through legislative or executive action.
The protest was supported by members of several civil society organizations, including We Are The Common People, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Bengal Students’ Unite, and the All India Human Rights Organisation, under the banner of the West Bengal Democratic Civil Society.
Subhajit Duttagupta, a prominent member of the West Bengal Democratic Citizens’ Forum and editor of We Are The Common People, addressed the gathering. He called for swift governmental action to safeguard the jobs of eligible candidates from the 2016 School Service Commission (SSC) panel and demanded the withdrawal of the controversial notification and gazette issued by the SSC regarding re-examination procedures. Duttagupta also insisted on the immediate public release of approximately 22 lakh OMR mirror image copies, relating to eligible and awaiting candidates — including those not called for verification.
He further urged the state government to convene an emergency session of the Assembly to resolve this escalating crisis. While not all member organizations of the West Bengal Democratic Citizens’ Forum could attend the event on short notice, Duttagupta confirmed that the forum stands in full solidarity with the movement and will continue to support future campaigns for justice.
The demonstrators have appealed directly to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking her urgent intervention in the matter. They emphasized the importance of preserving the livelihoods of qualified educators and the stability of the state’s public education system.
As the movement gathers momentum, the affected teachers and their supporters remain hopeful that the government will respond with empathy and a prompt solution, acknowledging both the legal complexity and the human cost of the verdict.
