TET aspirants protest near CM Mamata Banerjee’s residence
Hundreds of student-teachers protested near Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee’s residence on Wednesday, claiming they were denied jobs at the school due to irregularities in the recruitment process.Agitators claimed to have passed the Teacher’s Qualification Examination (TET) in 2014, demanded immediate employment at a government-sponsored and subsidized primary school, and blocked the Kalighat crossing for the afternoon, halting traffic.
They attempted to meet with Banerjee to carry out their demands, claiming they were harassed by police and forcibly removed from the protest site.The police officers on duty had a disastrous time getting the situation under control. When their pleas to clear the streets fell on deaf ears, police used force to force protesters out of the area.The protesters were taken by car to the Lal Bazar police headquarters.”Even though we studied hard and passed the exam, we didn’t get on the grade list. But the names of politicians on the list. Isn’t that a mockery of justice? We want justice,” said one protester.The protesters referred to a list recently released by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) including names such as Mamata Banerjee, Svendu Adhikari, Dilip Ghosh and Sujan Chakraborty as candidates who passed the exam.
After the name caused an uproar, the board clarified that they were merely homonyms, and a list of earnings recently published on the website also included the names of other nominees.”These were homonyms and the candidate list included the names and contact information of the candidates’ parents,” he said. Former State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and a number of high-ranking officials have been arrested by central law enforcement on suspicion of fraud in teacher recruitment. Chatterjee was dismissed as a minister and member of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
