by Debguru Chatterjee
People of Bengal are becoming more concerned centring the extreme corruption and mayhem in the state education system. Besides inaptly administering the school education system, the government here is accused of taking bribes to appoint teachers bypassing the merit list of teacher selection exams. For two years, teachers who passed eligibility tests and enlisted in the official panel but did not get posted, are demonstrating in the streets of Kolkata (the capital of Bengal province). Failed examinees who bribed ministers and officers for getting appointments as school teachers are losing their jobs by the ruling of the high court. Ongoing CBI enquiry regarding this scam has not much yield except a few arrests and freezing accounts in doubt. So, civilians taking charge. They are gathering under the umbrella of leftist activist organizations and trying to pressurise the government to be righteous. Rallies and protest marches are being organized all over Bengal.
On 5th May this year, I was in Barasat (a district of Bengal). As I walked over a bridge, I found a rally conducted by the Democratic Youth Federation of India ascending it with flags, festoons banners and badges. I interacted with some activists in motion and came to know they are walking towards the district magistrate’s office to submit a memorandum demanding ‘arrest all thieves sitting in the government and put them into jail’; in Bengali language CHOR DHORO JAIL VORO. I had another affair to attend, also, I had my camera in my side bag. So I instantly captured a few shots of their protest march. While returning from Barasat I came to know from people’s gossip, the marching youths had a rude confrontation with police, barricades, tear gas shells. With much effort they achieved their goal of the day and at present they are surrounding the DM Office. Soon I walked towards the DM office and captured a few more shots of these activists. That was not much. Still I regret not having exquisite shots of their confrontation with police. But what I have captured is the spirit of a youth movement that presently is shaking the government of Bengal by its roots.
