Thousands of students in Karnataka’s Dharwad city took to the streets on September 25, staging a massive protest at Jubilee Circle. They demanded higher age limits for government jobs and the quick filling of long-vacant positions across departments, including police sub-inspector roles.
The crowd blocked the road for more than 30 minutes, sparking frustration among drivers and commuters stuck in the jam. Students from local colleges and coaching centers, rallied by various student organizations, voiced their anger over years of unfilled posts. They called on the Congress-led state government to issue recruitment notifications right away.
Police faced a challenging task as the gathering swelled. Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar rushed to the scene and urged the protesters to disperse peacefully. Even so, the demonstration stretched beyond an hour, leading to severe traffic congestion on Dharwad’s main roads for hours.
This Dharwad protest highlights a growing frustration among job seekers in Karnataka. For years, aspirants have pushed for changes to the police recruitment age limits, which currently stand at 25 years for general category candidates and 27 years for reserved categories like SC/ST. They want to raise it to 30 years for general applicants and 33 for SC/ST.
Similar demands surfaced recently, with a procession in Mysuru on September 11 drawing crowds to advocate for these revisions. Politicians, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, have voiced support in the past, but the government hasn’t acted yet.
Karnataka’s limits lag behind many other states, where general candidates often qualify up to 28-33 years, and reserved categories like SC/ST or OBC up to 32-38 years. This gap has left thousands of prepared candidates sidelined, fueling protests like the one in Dharwad. Student leaders warn that without swift changes, more demonstrations could follow as youth unemployment pressures mount in the state.
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