Daijiworld Media Network- Kolkata

Kolkata, Apr 11: In a significant development amid rising tensions, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu will meet with a delegation of school job aspirants whose appointments were recently cancelled following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the West Bengal school jobs scam case. The crucial meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at Bikas Bhavan.

The job seekers — part of a larger group of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff whose appointments were annulled — have intensified their protests, launching a relay hunger strike in front of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) office in Salt Lake. What began with one participant on Thursday has now grown to include more affected candidates.

Minister Basu is expected to brief the eight-member delegation on the state government’s plans to address the crisis and outline potential relief measures. He will be accompanied by two senior Education Department officials and WBSSC chairman Siddhartha Majumdar.

Demands for transparency and justice

The protesting candidates are pressing for urgent steps to distinguish between ‘genuine’ and ‘tainted’ appointees — the latter allegedly having secured jobs through bribes. “We want the immediate release of the mirror images of the OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheets used in the recruitment process to ensure transparency,” said a spokesperson from the protestors’ umbrella body.

Additionally, the delegation plans to raise concerns about police excesses during a recent demonstration at the District Inspector of Schools’ office in Kasba. They allege that Kolkata Police used "unprovoked force" against peaceful protestors and will request departmental action against the responsible officers.

With emotions running high and public outrage mounting, today's meeting is seen as a litmus test for the Mamata Banerjee-led government’s ability to resolve a crisis that has rocked the state’s education system and sparked widespread demands for justice.