The number of protesting teachers outside the school service commission office thinned on a day many of them resolved to return to school and draw their salaries till December.

The scene of protests, which drew aggrieved teachers by thousands over the past few days, barely had 200 people on Wednesday afternoon.

SSC chairperson Siddhartha Majumdar, who was confined in his office since Monday night as the protesting teachers pressed for the publication of a segregated list, was allowed to go home on Wednesday morning.

The strength of the gathering started diminishing after the heads of the government-aided schools started calling eligible teachers, asking them to return to schools based on a segregated list, on Wednesday morning.

Manisha Mazumdar, 36, a life science teacher at Barabainan Union Samabaya Krishi Samity Sikshaniketan, Burdwan, said she will join the school.

“I decided to because students are facing problems,” said Mazumdar.

“We finally got the segregated list, which does not have tainted candidates,” she added.

“I will also be joining school,” said Dhitish Mandal, one of the spokespersons of the Deserving Teachers’ Rights Forum, which had
been spearheading the
protests.

Mandal teaches at a school in North 24-Parganas.

The list drawn up by the commission says 15,400 teachers can return to school and draw their salaries until the end of December, a relief that the state secondary education board had sought from the apex court so classes could be held in the ongoing academic year.

On Wednesday, the sloganeering outside the commission office of the past few days had waned.

The police bandobast had also been scaled down in and around the commission office on Wednesday.

On Wednesday night, the gathering thinned to 100 or less.

Swapan Biswas, one of the faces of the protests and a teacher at Basnberia Ganges High School in Hooghly, said: “I will return to school now that the segregated list has come out.”

SSC chairperson Majumdar said he will likely return to office on Friday.

“The commission has come out with the list as demanded by the protesting teachers. Now we have to get on with other pending work,” he told The Telegraph.

Sources said the commission is taking steps to release a fresh recruitment advertisement following the Supreme Court order on April 17.

By May 31, the commission must submit an affidavit before the Supreme Court about the steps taken for the fresh recruitment process.

“Or else we will be held in contempt of court,” said a commission official.