Kolkata: After violent protests erupted outside Bikash Bhavan in Salt Lake, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jawed Shamim provided a detailed account of the incident, calling the situation "extremely volatile" and likening it to a "hostage-like" scenario for government employees trapped inside the building.
The agitation was led by teachers who had reportedly lost their jobs following a Supreme Court verdict. According to ADGP Shamim, a large group of affected teachers gathered in front of Bikash Bhavan on Thursday morning and turned aggressive.
"... After the SC judgement, many teachers lost their jobs. The teachers have been agitating... Yesterday morning, a huge crowd of teachers gathered before the Bikash Bhavan. They became agitated and broke the barricades, trying to enter the premises of Bikash Bhavan. Police tried to reason with them, but they would not listen... They broke the gates open and caused a lot of damage... They flooded the whole premises," Shamim said.
Shamim noted that Bikash Bhavan is not solely occupied by the education department--it houses 58 departments and employs over 500 staff members.
"We thought that we had to show extreme restraint and caution in dealing with them to arrive at an amicable solution... The office hours end at 5:30 pm... The people wanted to leave. The protesters were adamant that nobody would be allowed to leave... They locked the gates... We negotiated with them from 5:30 pm onwards, which went on till 8:30 pm," the ADGP said.
Eventually, the police were forced to act, creating a safe passage for employees to exit. During the standoff, the agitators allegedly hurled stones and plastic bottles at the police.
"The police were pleading with them to carry on with the agitation but let the Government employees leave... The employees were a kind of hostage situation... So ultimately finding no other option, police tried to make a way... We tried to cordon off, made a made a carriageway through which we tried to ensure that people are able to make a safe exit possible," he said.
"There was a standoff... The minimum required force was applied... The whole purpose to send the employees home... One is a bit serious, others have small injuries, and there are around 19 injured that we have come to know as of now," Shamim clarified.
Meanwhile, teachers continued their protest on Friday as well against the CM Mamata Banerjee-led state government after 26,000 teachers lost their jobs in connection with the SSC recruitment case.
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