West Bengal has turned into a battleground with various sections taking out protests against the Mamata Banerjee government.
The state which is reeling under the impact of a massive strike by the doctors is now facing a new challenge from another section of the society – teachers.
Hundreds of academicians were seen protesting at Bikash Bhavan in Kolkata demanding higher wages among other demands on Monday.
The agitated teachers were seen trying to pull down the barricades as the police struggled to keep them away.
More than 30,000 teachers employed in Shishu Shiksha Kendras (SSKs) and Madhyamik Shiksha Kendras (MSKs), earlier in March, blocked the road to Bikash Bhavan demanding that their honorariums be increased.
They were protesting against the current government’s refusal to increase their honorariums for the past seven years.
Earlier, around 200 aspiring academicians were on relay hunger strike for 28 days demanding recruitment to vacant posts in state-run institutes. The strike was called off after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met agitating aspiring school teachers on March 27.
The agitators were claiming that a large number of teachers’ posts were lying vacant but the authorities were not calling them for an interview though they have the requisite qualifications.