Dharwad (Karnataka), Dec 1 (LatestNewsX) – Over 35 people, many of them women, were taken into custody on Monday when police broke up a protest in Dharwad city that called on the Congress‑led government to fill more than 200,000 vacant jobs.
The demonstrators, a mix of young men and women, staged a quick rally at Srinagar Circle. They carried banners, posted flyers, shouted slogans and urged the authorities to act swiftly on the stalled recruitment process.
Janasamanyara Vedike coordinated the rally together with a number of other groups that represent job seekers.
Even though the organizers had been denied official permission, around 200 students and protestors gathered on Monday morning. They then tried to march towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Police said the demonstration lacked the necessary clearance. After sounding warnings, officers took several of the protestors onto an RTC bus and moved them to an undisclosed location.
Hubballi–Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar confirmed that permission had been refused. “The organisers had requested approval for a large‑scale protest but failed to provide full details,” he said. “They claimed that about 30,000 students would join. Some postgraduate students and library‑dwelling scholars even spoke about an overnight dharna and blocking intersections,” he added.
He explained that the police had repeatedly asked the organizers for more information. “We requested specifics – who is leading the protest, how many will show up? There are about 80,000 students in this area, plus schools, colleges and hospitals. Local residents also live in large numbers,” he noted.
Shashikumar stressed that the concentration of students in the area makes it highly sensitive. “In such places, troublemakers might take advantage. A small incident could spiral into a law‑and‑order crisis. That’s why we did not grant permission,” he said.
He pointed out that organisers had been warned beforehand that any gathering without proper authorization would be deemed unlawful. “If even one person does something wrong, everyone faces consequences. The government has already issued guidance on this,” he said.
“There are several coaching centres along that route. To prevent the situation from escalating, we put them in preventive custody,” he added.
He confirmed that a total of 35 people, including women job aspirants, were taken into custody as a precautionary step.
When asked about accusations that the police were stifling the protest, Shashikumar replied: “We are not suppressing anyone. Everyone has the right to protest, but it must be done within the rules.”
He also recalled that during past demonstrations, some participants had uttered inappropriate slogans and blocked the busy Jubilee Circle, causing inconvenience to the public.
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