'Didi's Private Militia,' Say Teachers as Bengal Cops Unleash Violence on SSC Job Loss Protesters
Kolkata: Barely two days after chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s assurance of full support, Bengal police baton charged protesting teachers who were demanding justice over jobs lost due to the 2016 School Service Commission scam on April 9. The agitation, which saw thousands of aggrieved educators walking to District School Inspector (DI) offices statewide, turned particularly violent in some places, leaving dozens injured and sparking outrage.
The protests stem from a landmark Supreme Court verdict cancelling the 2016 SSC recruitment over widespread corruption, including fraudulent appointments, forged answer sheets, and bribes-for-jobs schemes. The ruling terminated the appointments of 25,735 teachers and non-teaching staff, though many claim they are yet to receive formal termination notices.
Teachers, claiming they were “cheated” out of jobs despite qualifying for state-run schools, organised a coordinated protest to lock down DI offices.
School teachers protest at the office of the District Inspector of Schools over loss of school job issue, in Siliguri, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Photo: PTI.
Many areas including in Kolkata, Cooch Behar, South Dinajpur, Paschim Medinipur, and North 24 Parganas witnessed heated confrontations between police and demonstrators. Clashes, verbal spats with ruling party leaders, and sporadic violence were reported throughout the day.
The situation turned grim at the Kasba DI office in Kolkata as job-seekers scaled the gates and barged into the premises. Police resorted to beating the protesters – first targeting teachers protesting outside, then turning to the demonstrators inside the office. Multiple teachers collapsed to the ground, with officers seen kicking them during the chaos.
Some teachers present in the agitation alleged their private parts were targeted.
“A few protesters climbed the gate to voice their demands. Police dragged them down and began thrashing everyone. Many were bleeding from head injuries. I can’t count how many were hospitalised,” said Monisha Mondal, who has lost her teaching job and was part of the protests.
A wounded teacher, clutching an officer’s baton inside the office, screamed: “Shoot us instead! We won’t die by batons. Living with this humiliation is worse than death!”
“There were no women officers. They suddenly got a phone call and attacked us like a mob. These aren’t police – they’re Didi’s [CM Mamata Banerjee] private militia!” said another protester.
Protesting SSC teachers lock the gate of the Baharampur DI office, demanding the reinstatement of qualified teachers, in Berhampore, in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Photo: PTI
Facing outrage, Kolkata Police released a statement terming the protest a “violent mob attack” on them.
“It is clarified that outside the Kasba DI Office, an unruly mob launched an unprovoked and violent attack on police personnel, including women police. Four male and two female police personnel sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment. Police were compelled to use mild force to disperse the mob and prevent further injuries and damage to property. Investigation into the incident is underway.”
“If government property is vandalised and police are assaulted, then the police must take necessary action to maintain law and order,” stated chief secretary Manoj Pant.
Protesters have accused the state government of shielding “ineligible candidates” at their expense. The demonstrators have been locked in a desperate struggle to retain their jobs ever since the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta high court verdict declaring their recruitment in government-aided schools as “illegal” and “tainted”.
Protesting SSC teachers at the Kasba DI office on April 9, 2025. Photo: By arrangement.
The protesting teachers demanded three reforms, including releasing Optical Mark Recognition sheets to ensure exam transparency, publishing merit-based lists certifying qualified and unqualified candidates, and exempting qualified teachers from having to sit for a re-test.
“We attended an indoor meeting with Mamata Banerjee after the judgement and trusted the chief minister’s words. We are eligible. Then why should we become illegal due to the government’s corruption? From her recent words, it’s clear the CM wants to protect the ineligible candidates by putting the burden on us. Why must we face batons instead of teaching?” asked Ansar Ali, who was protesting outside the DI office in the North 24 Parganas.
Bengal Trinamool Congress leaders, in turn, have asked why the teachers protested despite there having been a meeting with the chief minister a day ago, and her assurances that their jobs won't be taken.
"Why did they go to the DI office? When the government, the education department, and the SSC are all ready to address their demands, could the protests not be paused for some time?” asked education minister Bratya Basu.
'State sinking to brutality to protect the corrupt'
In Paschim Medinipur and Cooch Behar, teachers alleged severe police intimidation, with officers reportedly turning up to issue threats to protesters at their homes.
An injured teacher from Paschim Medinipur claimed, “Two baton-wielding men in helmets said, 'So, you think you’re a big leader now? Why did you come inside to protest against the government?’ — and then began beating me.”
“Our apolitical movement is in shambles. Leaders are either hospitalised or traumatised. We never imagined the state would sink to such brutality to protect the corrupt,” said Arijit Saha, a teacher in the South 24 Parganas.
Opposition parties – the Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party of India (Marxist) – condemned the violence, calling it “state-sponsored terror.”
“A barbaric and violent regime is ruling the state, and today’s attack on teachers proves it. If speaking the truth earns teachers batons and kicks, what greater shame is there? This government wants to protect job thieves,” said CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty.
Translated from the Bengali original and with inputs from Aparna Bhattacharya.
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