Chaos broke out outside the Netaji Indoor Stadium on Monday morning, just ahead of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s scheduled meeting with sacked government Mamata Banerjee and non-teaching staff.

A controversy erupted over the distribution of ‘passes’, which divided the protestors into two clear factions—those with the passes and those without. Those in possession of the passes insisted that only they should be allowed inside the stadium, barring the rest. The legitimacy of these passes, however, has now come under scrutiny.

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Questions are being raised about who authorised the distribution and what criteria were used to determine eligibility. The passes, featuring a blue background with bold text read “Amra Joggo” (we are eligible), reportedly included details such as “floor” or “gallery,” indicating seating arrangements.

Allegations surfaced that members of an organisation named Joggo Shikshak-Shikshika Adhikar Mancha (Platform for the Rights of Eligible Teachers) played a key role in distributing the passes. The group claims the state government handed over 7,500 passes to them, based on a list of names who had earlier filed legal petitions. Opposition leaders, including BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari and CPI-M’s Satarup Ghosh, raised strong objections over the distribution process. “The CM has politicised the Netaji Indoor Stadium,” Adhikari said. “The autonomy of the SSC has been destroyed under her leadership. The state government must immediately submit the full list of affected teachers.”

Congress leader Soumya Aich Roy criticised the state for not clearly identifying ineligible candidates from the beginning, leading to further confusion and division during the meeting. The Kolkata Police, tasked with maintaining order, allowed entry based on the passes. “Many people have arrived. We tried to bring them in through a separate gate. We are letting in only those with valid passes,” said DC central Indira Mukherjee. Yet, many without passes questioned when and how the passes were issued, alleging lack of transparency. Members of the Adhikar Mancha stated that around 12,000 of their affiliates had moved court and claimed a total of 15,403 members among them were “eligible.” They admitted that not every dismissed teacher received a pass but emphasised the need for an ID card, admit card, and petition number to collect one. On Monday morning, many were seen queuing with tokens issued earlier to collect passes. The organisation claims these tokens were issued for logistical convenience after receiving the passes on Sunday evening, followed by instructions sent on WhatsApp groups.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Locket Chatterjee attempted to stage a protest near Kalighat and was detained by police. According to reports, 25,735 teachers and non-teaching staff were terminated, with the CBI reportedly identifying 6,500–7,000 as ineligible. However, due to the unavailability of original OMR sheets or copies, courts have not been able to provide clean chits to the rest. CM Mamata Banerjee had called for a meeting with them to discuss the issue, but it was overshadowed by the pandemonium over the passes.