Goutam Das, the CPIM state secretary said on Sunday that his party members were not involved in the ongoing terminated teachers’ protests after education minister Ratan Lal Nath alleged involvement of around 350 members of the CPIM party during the protest on January 27

Das said, “Our party workers have stayed in the party office. How can they raise such allegations against the CPIM party, when all the people injured during the violence are teachers? However, some media reports say it was the BJP and RSS workers among the police and TSR who carried out the attack on the teachers”.

“When the protest is democratic and legitimate, the CPIM party and the Left Front will always extend its support to their movement,” Das added.

“The teachers had to be admitted to the hospital. However, the education minister remained silent for the last four days and now has started making false and baseless statements against the teachers and opposition parties,” Das said.

A program to meet the chief minister in deputation after 52 days of peaceful protest was also pre-announced by the teachers.

“The recruitment advertisement was in 2002 for GT, PGT and UGT posts and due to several reasons, the recruitment continued till 2010. We are still backing the policy because economic disparity has increased in the state, especially during the lockdown period,” Das added.

However, he maintained that the people would answer to the state’s betrayal over the last 34 months.

87 people sustained injuries in stopping the movement of terminated teachers. Among them, 70 are teachers and 17 police personnel. Out of those 17 police personnel, six are female police personnel, West district magistrate and collector Dr Shailesh Kumar Yadav.

Two cases were registered by the West district police against the terminated teachers who resorted for violence in the name of a day-long movement.

The teachers destroyed four vehicles, which included the additional superintendent’s, during the clash with police, said the district magistrate. A bus was also destroyed after which, the police had to take strict action.