Several STGT qualified job aspirants were injured when police resorted to lathi charge to disperse them from the road in front of Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath—where they had gone to demand immediate recruitment.
The STGT qualified youths had been agitating for long demanding recruitment as teachers. On Monday they swarmed in front of Education Minister ratan Lal Nath’s Kadamtala residence in the heart of the city. It was then the minister met a delegation of the agitators for discussion. But during discussions Nath told the delegation that the recruitment at this moment was possible as the Finance department did not approve. He told the STGT job aspirants that he had sent the file to the Finance Department but since the approval did not come he could assure them of appointment any time soon.
This irked the youths who started agitating more . Nath then left the home for secretariat and soon after police asked the agitators to clear the road. As they declined police resorted to indiscriminate lathi charge in which several STGT job aspirants were injured. Five of them had to be admitted in the hospital.
The incident triggered political slugfest as the opposition did not miss the opportunity to take up the issue. Leaders from all opposition parties immediately, but separately, rushed to the hospital and met the injured youths and assured their sympathy for them. The opposition also castigated the government for the police action. Leaders from CPM, Congress, Trinamool Congress all spoke on the issue and found fault with the state government run by the BJP.
