Salt Lake: Police detain TET 2022 protesters, SFI supporters
The candidates, who claim there are nearly 50,000 vacant primary teacher posts, had called for a march to the West Bengal Board of Primary Education office. By morning, large numbers of aspirants began gathering at Karunamoyee. Anticipating the agitation, Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate deployed a large contingent of force, including RAF.
As groups of candidates assembled, police began detaining them. Some were picked up immediately after exiting the metro station, while others were bundled into buses from the protest site. Despite the crackdown, a section of demonstrators managed to reach the Board office, prompting further police action to disperse gatherings. Minor scuffles broke out as protesters resisted detention.
The agitators alleged they were denied the chance to hold a peaceful march. “We have been waiting for appointments for three years, but the Board has remained indifferent. Instead of hearing us out, the police forcibly detained us before we could even begin the rally,” one candidate said.
In a separate demonstration, supporters of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) marched towards Bikash Bhavan, protesting the delay in publication of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination results and admissions to colleges and universities. Police stopped the march midway and detained several protestors before they could reach the building.