WB DA Protest: The Sangrami Joutha Mancha, a prominent forum of West Bengal government employees, is set to intensify its protest over unpaid Dearness Allowance (DA) by organizing a ‘Kalighat Chalo’ march on April 12, 2026. The employees allege that despite clear directives from the Supreme Court, the state government continues to deprive them of their legitimate arrears through partial compliance and ambiguous notifications.
Background of the Legal Battle
The protest stems from a long-standing legal dispute over DA parity. On February 5, 2026, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra directed the West Bengal government to release 25 percent of the DA arrears pending for the period between April 2008 and December 2019 by March 31. The apex court also formed a monitoring committee headed by former Justice Indu Malhotra to oversee the disbursement. Concurrently, the state government announced a 4 percent DA hike in the interim budget, bringing the current state DA rate to 22 percent, which still remains significantly lower than the central government rate of 58 percent.
The Core Grievances
Following the court’s order, the state Finance Department initially announced on March 13 that arrears for the 2016-2019 period would be paid in two installments. This was later modified on March 28 to a single installment payment by March 31. However, the Sangrami Joutha Mancha claims this modified announcement still disobeys the Supreme Court’s mandate. The government has remained silent on the exact timeline for clearing the arrears from 2008 to 2015. Furthermore, the protesters highlight that there is immense confusion regarding whether school teachers and municipal workers are included in this immediate arrear disbursement. Calling the situation a continuous deprivation, the forum has appealed to people from all walks of life to join an open platform for a unified protest.
Details of the Kalighat March
The protesting employees have outlined a specific schedule for their upcoming agitation:
- Date: April 12, 2026
- Time: 12:30 PM
- Gathering Point: Hazra More, Kolkata
- March Route: The procession will move from Hazra More through Harish Mukherjee Road.
- Historical Context: A similar protest march was successfully conducted on the exact same route on May 6, 2023, following an explicit order from the Calcutta High Court.
Latest Update
While the state government has initiated the process of crediting the 2016-2019 DA arrears into GPF and bank accounts to meet the immediate March 31 deadline set by the Supreme Court, the employees remain steadfast in their demand for the complete settlement of dues spanning back to 2008. The upcoming April 12 march is expected to be a major demonstration of this ongoing discontent.
