Kolkata, July 25 Demanding recruitment of teachers in state-run schools and holding of students' union election in colleges and universities in West Bengal, the students' wing of All India Secular Front (AISF), on Friday, staged protest demonstrations near Bikash Bhavan, the state education department's headquarters at Salt Lake area in the outskirts of Kolkata.
Members of the organisation criticised the West Bengal government for creating a crisis of teachers in state-run schools, following cancellation of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs following an order of a division bench of the Supreme Court because of rampant corruption in the recruitment system.
"Government schools are suffering from a shortage of teachers. Therefore, teachers must be appointed to the vacant posts immediately. At the same time, safety of students in schools and colleges must be ensured," said one of the protesters.
As the student front members of AISF could not obtain police permission for their protest, they had gathered outside the Karunamayee metro station with banners and posters.
As soon as they tried to start their protest march, the members were detained by the policemen who were present at the spot in large numbers to prevent the march. The members were later released from local police stations. There was a minor scuffle between the cops and the protestors then.
"Students' council elections must be held immediately. In the absence of a regular election, democratic voices are being stifled in state colleges and universities by the students’ wing of the ruling Trinamool Congress," said another protester.
Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court asked the West Bengal government to complete the pending students’ council elections in all colleges and universities. The division bench of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De directed the state government to issue the notification for college elections at the earliest.
The Calcutta High Court made this observation during hearings on the South Kolkata Law College rape incident and stated that all union rooms or common rooms should be closed following the Law College incident.
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