North 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India], April 10 (ANI): Actor and BJP leader Mithun Chakraborty on Thursday criticised the West Bengal government over reports of clashes between police and protesting teachers and said such incidents were common in the state and are part of the state government strategy.

Chakraborty added, 'Everything will be fine' if the BJP comes to power.

Speaking to ANI, Chakraborty said, 'Is this something new in the state? If journalists speak (against the state government), they are arrested; teachers, students are beaten. Is this something new? This is a part of the strategy of the state government. Let's see how the people of the state will react to it in the elections. If the BJP comes into power in elections, everything will be alright.'

Teachers in Kolkata have been protesting against the state government following the quashing of recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC).

On April 3, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to quash the recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016 for the state-run and aided schools.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar found that the West Bengal SSC's selection process was based on large-scale manipulations and fraud.

'In our opinion, this is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption. The credibility and legitimacy of the selection are denuded', the apex court bench stated in its judgement.

The apex court found no reason to interfere with the High Court's direction that the services of 'tainted' candidates must be terminated and that they should be required to refund any salaries/payments received.

'Since their appointments were the result of fraud, this amounts to cheating. Therefore, we see no justification to alter this direction', the bench added.

The top court's verdict came on a petition filed by the West Bengal government that challenged an April 2022 order of the Calcutta High Court, which had cancelled the recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and other staff for state-run and aided schools.

The top court had reserved its verdict in the matter on February 10. (ANI)