SSC Row: Mamata Banerjee Urges Teachers to Maintain ‘Lakshman Rekha’ while Protesting

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to the protesting teachers camping outside Bikash Bhavan to have faith in the state government and uphold the boundaries of responsible protest. Her remarks come amid rising tensions over the Supreme Court’s verdict invalidating the recruitment of over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointed through the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC).

For the past 13 days, hundreds of aggrieved teachers—who lost their jobs due to the apex court’s ruling—have been staging a sit-in outside Bikash Bhavan, which houses the state’s Department of School and Higher Education. Their key demand is that “untainted” teachers be reinstated without having to sit for fresh examinations as ordered by the Supreme Court.

Tensions escalated on Thursday when protestors broke open the gates of the administrative building and stormed inside, holding government employees and visitors under siege. The protestors refused to let anyone leave until authorities agreed to engage in dialogue. The standoff resulted in clashes between the teachers and the police, with officers resorting to lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Both protestors and police personnel sustained injuries during the altercation.

Speaking to the press before departing on a three-day visit to North Bengal, Chief Minister Banerjee condemned the violence and disruption caused by the protest, while also expressing solidarity with the demonstrators.

“They should have had faith in the government. We held discussions with them, and the least we expect in return is a sense of responsibility and basic courtesy,” Banerjee said. “They must rise above political instigation and return to their duties of educating children. I must add that not all of them are behaving irresponsibly—many are continuing with their work, and we have no complaints against them.”

Banerjee also highlighted the ordeal faced by several individuals trapped inside the building during the protest.

“I have tremendous sympathy for them, and I always will. However, you cannot harm others or lock people in from the outside while staging a protest. It is not just the teachers involved—there are outsiders too,” she said.

The Chief Minister cited the case of a pregnant woman who was unable to return home, and a student examinee who had visited Bikash Bhavan for examination-related work but was barred from leaving. “In a state of panic, the student jumped from the building, injured her foot, and had to be hospitalised,” Banerjee stated. “Employees were held inside the building for over 18 hours. Protests should not come at the cost of others’ inconvenience.”

Mamata Banerjee reiterated her support for the teachers’ cause but cautioned against crossing the line. “I am not against protests per se, but there must be a ‘Lakshman Rekha’—a clear line that should not be crossed. I would, in fact, suggest that they pursue this matter through legal means, and we will support them in that. We are already fighting on their behalf—we are not against them.”

The protests follow a Supreme Court ruling that upheld a Calcutta High Court judgment invalidating the recruitment of 25,753 individuals due to widespread irregularities in the selection process. The apex court described the recruitment as “vitiated and tainted." In a subsequent ruling the apex court ordered the state government to conduct fresh examinations by 31 May, with the recruitment process to be completed by 31 December.​