The burnt files at the employment exchange office in Karnajora. Picture by Nantu Dey

Raiganj, Dec. 7: Around 300 youths who had not received “biodata forms” from the district primary school council today ransacked the office of the employment exchange at Karnajora and set documents and files on fire.

Tomorrow is the last date for the submission of forms, which were to have been issued to candidates whose names were sent by the employment exchange to the DPSC. The protesters alleged that the employment exchange had failed to draw up the list of candidates who had expressed “willingness” to sit for a primary school teacher recruitment test in 2006.

The North Dinajpur district employment exchange officer fled the spot to escape the wrath of the protesters, who tore down furniture as well as records stored in files before setting them ablaze.

Sebadal Paswan, a Group IV staff member of the exchange, said suddenly he found himself alone in the office located on the outskirts of the town. “The youths, who abused our officials, entered the office and told me to leave. They ransacked the furniture and set fire to the papers. I shouted for help and after sometime employees from the nearby offices came and doused the flames. Employment cards issued in the past few months have been reduced to ashes.”

N.K. Chatterjee, the deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) of North Dinajpur, said they had information of a demonstration at the DPSC office and had kept a force on standby there. “But we did not realise that they would target the employment exchange office. We are yet to know the whereabouts of T.T. Sherpa, the exchange officer, who reportedly left the office before the ransack.”

Trying to justify the ransack, Tilak Das, who took part in the agitation, said the exchange had not issued in time the list of job aspirants who had expressed “willingness” to appear for an exam in 2006. That year, the DPSC had notified that recruitment tests would be held for 1,300 posts of primary teachers.

“Accordingly, we got a call from the exchange and expressed our willingness. (Candidates registered with employment exchanges have to intimate their willingness before sitting for job exams). However, the exam did not take place because of a Calcutta High Court order. This year, before the exams, the high court said those who had expressed willingness for the 2006 exam would have to appear for a written test of 10 marks. Not only that, the 1,300 posts would be separately allocated according to rules prevalent in 2006.”

As a result, a list of “willing” candidates of 2006 was sent to the DPSC from the exchange this time. In turn, the council dispatched “biodata forms” to each of the aspirants. The form was supposed to be filled up and submitted to the DPSC by November 30, Das said.

“But many of us did not get the biodata form till November 29 and approached the DPSC which extended the date of submission till December 8. We contacted the employment exchange after the DPSC told us that they had dispatched the forms to candidates whose names they had received from the exchange. The officials at the exchange did not meet us today but left the office by the time we arrived at 10am,” Das said. “We could well understand that our names were not sent to the DPSC.”

Sumita Bagchi, the subdivisional officer of Raiganj, said efforts were on to contact Sherpa since yesterday as there were problems regarding the “issuing of forms”. “We did not get him over the cellphone even today. Samit Das, the second officer at the exchange, has been instructed to find out where Sherpa had gone away during office hours today.”

The DPSC has sent the ball to the exchange’s court. “The bio-data form has been sent to candidates whose names had been sent from the employment exchange,” Utpal Dutta, the DPSC chairman said. “If there is any lapse in sending the names to us, the onus is on the employment exchange.”

The date for this year’s recruitment exams for the district has not yet been fixed.