— Attachment Content: Job_aspirants_lay_siege_in_Dharwad.docx —Filed by Gururaj Jamkhandi/TNN(Attn desk: sent three pics)Captions:Thousands of job aspirants stage protest near Alur Venkatrao Circle in Dharwad on Tuesday against the state government’s failure to fill the vacant posts. (TOI). Protestors shout slogans against BJP leader R Ashoka who had come to join the protest and ask him to go back. (TOI).—————————————————-Job Aspirants Lay Siege in Dharwad, Warn of Indefinite StirDharwad: Anger among job aspirants demanding recruitment to vacant posts in various State government departments spilled onto the streets on Tuesday in Dharwad, as protests intensified against the State government. The agitators warned that if a recruitment notification is not issued immediately, they would launch an indefinite agitation and undertake a padayatra from Dharwad to Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.More than 2,000 job aspirants gathered at Srinagar–Jayanagar Circle in the city and staged a vehement protest against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other Ministers. Protesters tore photographs of the leaders and raised slogans against the government. The protest disrupted normal traffic movement in Dharwad as several roads had been blocked.Police efforts fail to pacify protestersCity Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar and other senior police officials attempted to pacify the protesters through announcements over a microphone, but their efforts failed. As the situation threatened to escalate, police detained Kanthkumar, State president of the Akhila Karnataka Students’ Association, who was leading the protest. However, following strong objections from the protesters, he was brought back to the protest site.‘Will not withdraw agitation even if it costs life’Addressing the gathering, Kanthkumar said the government could not suppress the movement through police action. “Even if it costs us our lives, we will not withdraw the agitation. For years, recruitment has not taken place. Aspirants who dreamt of becoming KAS officers, PSIs and PDOs are now forced to sell vegetables, work as delivery boys and take up hotel jobs to survive,” he said. He demanded that the Chief Minister immediately issue recruitment notifications, failing which thousands of aspirants would march to Vidhana Soudha.BJP extends support, faces backlashMeanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and Deputy Leader Arvind Bellad, along with other BJP leaders, took out a separate protest rally from Jayanagar Circle to Michigan Compound. They criticised the State government for failing to fill vacant posts. However, tensions flared at Jubilee Circle where protesters, despite lacking permission, blocked the road and intensified their agitation. BJP leaders who arrived to join the protest faced strong resistance from the aspirants. Protesters shouted “go back” slogans, questioning what the party had done over the past three years while in the Opposition. When MLA Arvind Bellad attempted to speak, some protesters allegedly threw water bottles in anger.Protest dispersedAs the situation grew tense, Deputy Commissioner Snehal R. arrived at the spot and appealed to the protesters to withdraw the agitation. Later in the evening, police detained Kanthkumar again and dispersed the crowd, bringing the day-long protest to an end.Eom/guru/dwd/24-02
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