The detective department of the Bidhannagar police has taken up the probe of the violence at Bikash Bhavan on May 15.
Two of the five teachers who were summoned to Bidhannagar (North) police station on Monday in connection with the violence last week responded to the summons, while the third sent a medical report justifying his absence.
The other two, including Mehboob Mandal — one of the leaders of the protesting teachers’ group — did not turn up. Mandal did not take calls from this newspaper on Monday.
The two who went to Bidhannagar (North) police station were questioned for an hour and then allowed to leave. Sources in the police said their statements were recorded.
“The summonses were sent based on electronic evidence. There is no way one can deny the charges,” said a senior officer of the Bidhannagar police.
The police said they were probing a possible “conspiracy” behind the unrest on the Bikash Bhavan compound last week.
Sources said the investigators are probing how the agitators instantly got hold of so many padlocks to lock all the gates of Bikash Bhavan without it being a planned move.
Thousands of teachers who have lost their jobs after a Supreme Court ruling had gathered outside Bikash Bhavan on May 15. They broke multiple cordons and gates to lay siege to the building.
More than 3,000 people — government officials and visitors, men and women, elderly and expecting mothers — were stuck in the building for more than eight hours because of the siege.
The police have pieced together the sequence of events on the Bikash Bhavan compound on that day.
“The teachers had demanded intervention by the chiefminister and given her a deadline. However, even before the deadline passed, at least one of the so-called leaders in the teachers’ group was heard shouting to the employees inside Bikash Bhavan that they would be detained in their offices for the next 24 hours.This indicates the group came prepared to confine so many people in the building, irrespective of how the statewas going to react to their demands that day,” an officer said.
A suo motu case has been registered in connection with the May 15 incident under sections of criminal trespassing, rioting, wrongful restraint, causing harm to public servant deterring them from performing duty, disobedience to an order promulgated by a public servant, threatening a public servant, assault and criminal force against government servant, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and common intention of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act.
The police have summoned 15 agitators till now.
“Those who did not respond to the summons on Monday will be summoned again. Those who came may be asked to come again if the investigation demands so,” said a senior officer.
A second set of teachers has been summoned to the police station on Wednesday in connection with the case.