Midnight crackdown on TET protesters; Opposition protests

The incident took place around 12.30 am.

The protesters, including women, raised slogans against the administration for “crushing their democratic voice”. “We are being forcefully evicted from this place. We were staging a sit-in with our legitimate demands. Police are acting undemocratically,” said a woman protester who was moved away in a police van.

The protesters were dropped at various locations such as Sealdah railway station so that they could take trains or buses to their homes.

According to police, five protesters who were on a hunger strike have been shifted to a hospital after they fell ill.

Police detained three protesters — Achinta Samanta, Achinta Dhara and Arnab Ghosh — but released them later on PR bonds.

National award-winning filmmaker Aparna Sen condemned the incident and expressed her solidarity with the protesting candidates.

“The Trinamool govt is flouting the basic democratic rights of the hunger strikers! Section 144 was issued against a non-violent protest! Why? I strongly condemn the undemocratic and unethical action of the West Bengal govt!” Sen tweeted.

While the protesters alleged that they were deprived of jobs despite fulfilling the recruitment process in 2016 and 2021, the primary board maintained that the agitating candidates will have to go through a fresh requirement process if they intend to get appointment letters. The board also moved the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday, seeking its intervention in the relentless protest by the candidates.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for unleashing police “brutality” on the protesters. “WB’s current situation is alarming. Mamata Police applied brute force on agitating candidates of the Teacher Eligibility Test 2014 candidates at Salt Lake to forcefully end their legitimate sit-in demonstration near the State Primary Education Board Office. WB or Hitler’s Germany?” Adhikari tweeted.

The BJP Yuva Morcha has, meanwhile, given a call for a massive protest to condemn the incident.

“Police have beaten up young protesters, including women, after dusk. We will not tolerate this kind of attack and there will be protests all over the state against the high-handedness of state police today,” said BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul.

Later in the day, BJP leaders and workers took out a rally from the party headquarters in central Kolkata to Esplande area to mark their protest, but police stopped them near Esplanade and detained several party workers.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) youth wing DYFI leader Minakshi Mukherjee on Friday afternoon led a protest in Karunamoyee area in Salt Lake. However, the police stopped them for violating section 144, which has been imposed in the area. As they attempted to hold a sit-in, policemen removed them from the area.

“The state government is using police not only to stop the candidates from holding protests but also to prevent Opposition parties to hold democratic protests. This is unacceptable and unfortunate. We will not be stopped by this,” said Mukherjee.

The Congress has, too, decided to take out a rally to condemn the incident.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress defended the police action, saying the men in uniform showed restraint and composure in controlling the situation.

“The police repeatedly requested the protesters to lift their agitation. Later, they cleared the area by exercising restraint. But that does not justify the unjust protest by the candidates. If all those who have cleared the central government exams want appointment letters, will the Opposition parties support them? If they organise a sit-in outside the central government agencies demanding jobs, what will the opposition parties say?” Ghosh asked.