Thousands of Youth Protest in Dharwad Over Delayed Government Job Notifications: Demand Age Limit Hike and Recruitment Action
Dharwad, September 25, 2025 – Thousands of competitive exam aspirants, primarily students and job seekers, took to the streets of Dharwad, Karnataka, on Thursday, staging a massive protest at the city’s iconic Jubilee Circle to demand immediate government action on filling vacant posts and revising the age limit for police recruitment. Organized under the banner of the All Karnataka State Students Association (AKSSA) and supported by coaching institutes like Veranda Race, the demonstration disrupted traffic for hours, highlighting deep-seated frustration over delayed job notifications and restrictive eligibility criteria. The protesters, many of whom have been preparing for years, accused the Congress-led state government of failing to deliver on its 2023 election promise of creating 2.5 lakh jobs, leaving aspirants stranded as they age out of eligibility.
The rally, which saw participation from students across colleges and coaching centers in North Karnataka, marked a crescendo of discontent over stalled recruitments for critical posts, including Police Sub-Inspectors (PSI), Police Constables, First Division Assistants (FDA), and Second Division Assistants (SDA). With slogans like “Jobs Now!” and “Raise the Age Limit!”, the protesters blocked arterial roads for over 30 minutes, causing significant congestion in Dharwad’s commercial hub. The agitation, which extended to a march towards the Deputy Commissioner’s office, underscored the urgency of addressing Karnataka’s lagging recruitment processes compared to other states.
A Growing Crisis: Stalled Recruitments and Age Barriers
The protest was sparked by long-standing grievances over the Karnataka government’s failure to issue fresh job notifications for government posts, some of which have remained vacant for over four years. According to AKSSA state president Kanth Kumar, the recruitment process for PSI posts has been stalled since 2021, while FDA and SDA vacancies have lingered unfilled for seven years. This delay has pushed thousands of aspirants past the current age limits for government jobs—25 years for general category candidates and 27 years for reserved categories—effectively barring them from opportunities despite years of preparation.
“Karnataka has one of the lowest age limits for police constable recruitment in India. Other states allow general candidates up to 28-33 years and reserved categories up to 32-38 years. We demand a minimum five-year age relaxation to compensate for the government’s inaction,” Kumar declared during the protest, addressing a crowd of over 3,000 at Jubilee Circle. The protesters also pointed to the Congress government’s unfulfilled 2023 manifesto pledge to create 2.5 lakh jobs, a promise reiterated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar but yet to translate into concrete action.
The agitation drew attention to the broader crisis in Dharwad, once a thriving hub for competitive exam aspirants, now facing a decline as libraries and coaching centers report dwindling attendance due to the absence of job notifications. A recent report by The Times of India noted that approximately 300 24x7 libraries in Dharwad are struggling to survive, with many aspirants returning to their hometowns in districts like Haveri, Gadag, and Kalaburagi after years of waiting. “We’ve studied for years, but there are no exams, no jobs. The government is forcing us to give up,” said Siddhartha D., an aspirant from Chitradurga, who joined the protest.
The Protest: Scale and Impact
The demonstration began with a march from Sri Nagar, covering College Road before converging at Jubilee Circle, a key junction in Dharwad. Organized by AKSSA and bolstered by the Veranda Race coaching institute, the protest saw an unprecedented turnout, with estimates ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 participants. Protesters, many carrying placards and chanting against bureaucratic delays, blocked vehicular movement, sparing only an ambulance, which earned them public goodwill despite the chaos.
The scale of the protest caught local authorities off guard, with Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar personally intervening to manage the situation. Despite efforts to pacify the crowd, the agitation continued for over an hour, leading to heavy traffic congestion on major roads for several hours. The protesters later marched to the Deputy Commissioner’s office to submit a memorandum demanding immediate recruitment notifications and an age limit revision to 30 years for general candidates and 33 years for SC/ST candidates, aligning with standards in states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Social media amplified the protest’s reach, with hashtags like #DharwadStudentStrike and #JobNotification trending on X. A post by user @nabilajamal_ highlighted the Congress government’s unfulfilled job promises, garnering thousands of engagements and drawing support from youth across Karnataka.
Government and Police Response
Commissioner Shashikumar addressed the protesters, urging calm and promising to escalate their demands to state authorities. However, the crowd’s resolve remained unshaken, with many refusing to disperse until their memorandum was formally accepted. The police deployed elaborate security measures along the protest route and at the Deputy Commissioner’s office to prevent escalation, reflecting the sensitivity of the issue in a state preparing for electoral roll revisions ahead of local polls.
The Karnataka government has yet to issue an official response to Thursday’s protest, though sources within the Chief Minister’s Office indicated that recruitment delays are partly due to internal reservation issues for Scheduled Castes (SC), which have stalled notifications for over 50,000 posts across departments, including teachers and police personnel. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has previously expressed support for revising age limits, faces mounting pressure to act swiftly, especially after a similar procession in Mysuru on September 11, 2025, echoed the same demands.
Broader Context: A Statewide Struggle
Dharwad’s protest is part of a growing wave of unrest among Karnataka’s youth, who see government jobs as a stable pathway in an increasingly competitive job market. The state’s unemployment rate, hovering at 3.5% per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (2024), belies the acute distress among educated youth, many of whom invest years in coaching for competitive exams like KPSC and PSI. The lack of recruitment has also impacted Dharwad’s economy, with paying guest accommodations and libraries reporting a 30% drop in occupancy as aspirants leave the city.
Experts point to systemic issues, including bureaucratic inefficiencies and legal challenges over reservation policies, as key barriers to recruitment. “The government must fast-track notifications and consider temporary age relaxations to address the backlog. Otherwise, we risk alienating an entire generation,” said Dr. Anil Kumar, a policy analyst and former competitive exam aspirant.
Looking Ahead: A Call for Action
The protesters have vowed to continue their agitation until the government issues a clear timeline for recruitment and addresses the age limit issue. AKSSA plans to organize similar rallies in Bengaluru and Mysuru, with support from student federations and coaching networks. The Veranda Race team, which joined Thursday’s rally, has called for a statewide movement to pressure the government, framing the protest as “a fight for the future of Karnataka’s youth.”
As the state gears up for electoral roll revisions and potential elections, the youth unrest in Dharwad serves as a wake-up call for the Congress government. With thousands of aspirants watching closely, the administration’s response in the coming weeks will be critical in restoring faith among Karnataka’s job-seeking youth, who are determined to hold their leaders accountable.
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