Hundreds of TET-qualified primary teacher job aspirants staged a flash protest outside the state Assembly in central Calcutta on Thursday, alleging an “inordinate delay” in recruitment despite a large number of vacant posts.

Around 1,500 candidates, who had cleared the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) conducted in December 2022, assembled at Sealdah station in the morning. They reached Esplanade Metro station around 1pm and took to the streets, throwing traffic out of gear.

Catching police off guard, the protesters ran via Rani Rashmoni Avenue and squatted at the Assembly’s north gate, demanding to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Police warned them over loudhailers that the area was a high-security zone, with Raj Bhavan and Calcutta High Court nearby, and that prohibitory orders were in force. But when the protesters refused to disperse, police reinforcements arrived and removed the demonstrators, lifting the leaders bodily and packing them into vans.

The TET results were published in February 2023, but interviews have yet to be scheduled. Candidates alleged that the government was ignoring them, even as thousands of primary school posts remained vacant.

Last week, the education department published a list of 2,215 primary schools (Classes I-V) that had only one or no teacher.

“The delay in recruitment forced us to hit the streets,” said Bidesh Gazi, a spokesperson for the protesters’ platform. “The government is only focused on secondary and higher secondary school appointments. They have forgotten us.”

State primary education board president Gautam Paul said they were awaiting the formal vacancy list from the education department. “Once the list reaches us, we will proceed with interviews,” he said.

Education minister Bratya Basu said: “We are set to come up with a vacancy list in a day or two. We are still collecting data from district primary school councils. The candidates must not get impatient.”