The untainted, deserving teachers who lost their jobs following the Supreme Court verdict held a protest rally today. The demonstrators began by blocking the road, then moved to the District Inspector of Schools (DI) office at Pipulpati, Hooghly, where they staged an agitation. They locked the main gate of the DI office and vocally expressed their demands.
The Hooghly DI officer, Satyajit Mondal, met with the protesting teachers. The affected educators read aloud their demands and submitted a memorandum to Mr Mondal, who assured them that he would forward their concerns to the appropriate higher authorities in the state education department.
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Speaking to the media, the non-tainted teachers appealed for public support. “We urge leaders of all political parties to rise above their differences and fight for our democratic rights. We demand the publication of the mirror image of the OMR sheets. The tainted teachers should be isolated, and the non-tainted teachers should be reinstated. Those responsible for the discrepancies must be held accountable. The state education department must act promptly to ensure students are not deprived of regular classes,” they said.
The protesters stressed that they were appointed based on merit and talent. “It is the responsibility and duty of the education department to reinstate all of us with due honour.”
Referring to the chief minister’s suggestion of voluntary service, they said: “Voluntary service is not a legal or viable solution to our situation. We are on the brink of collapse. We are the sole earners in our families. Our daily needs, our children’s education, and the medical care of our elderly parents depend on us. This suffering has not only affected us personally but has also placed immense stress on our families — through no fault of our own. We are in unbearable agony and distress.”
They appealed to the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, to approach the President of India on their behalf, along with all MPs, to advocate for their reinstatement to their rightful positions.
They concluded with a final plea: “Leaders from all political parties must set aside differences and unite to uphold our democratic rights.”
