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Govt job aspirants stage stir in Dhadwad
Hundreds protested in Dhadwad demanding government job vacancies be filled. Tensions rose with BJP leaders' arrival, leading to detentions and unrest.
Hundreds of government job aspirants on Tuesday staged a protest in Dhadwad to demand filling of vacancies across departments in the state government.
The protest was organised by the Akhila Karnataka State Students’ Association (AKSSA) at the city’s Jubilee Circle, which witnessed intense sloganeering, burning of effigies, and road blockades.
Tensions escalated when senior BJP leaders , including Leaders of Opposition in R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy arrived at the protest site to express support. Some participants raised “go back” slogans and threw posters toward them, forcing them to leave.
Police detained R Kanthakumar, president of the student organisation leading the protest, and escorted him away in an autorickshaw. He was later released.
Police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said the gathering had not been authorised.
Speaking after his release, Kantakumar said the government had failed to act despite approvals. “If the government says it has no money to pay salaries, why is it delaying appointments?” he asked. “We are not even being given permission to protest. The chief minister says recruitment will be done in phases, and the deputy chief minister calls this politically motivated,” he added.
“If the government does not act now, there will be statewide protests,” said Kanthakumar.
According to the association, more than 28.5 million government posts remained vacant across departments. The most vacancies — 79,694 — were in the school education department, followed by 37,572 in the health department and 28,188 in the home department, they claimed.
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