Panchkula May 20
Candidates preparing for Haryana Public Service Commission recruitments staged a protest in Panchkula on Wednesday against the commission’s recruitment system and the 35 percent criterion in government jobs. Several protesters were detained after police stopped them from marching towards the HPSC headquarters in Sector 4.
The protest was organized at the Sector 5 dharna site under the leadership of the OBC Brigade. Digvijay Chautala, leader of the Jannayak Janta Party, also reached Panchkula to support the demonstrators but was stopped by police before reaching the protest site.
Leading the agitation, Gurmel Dabi said the protesters were opposing the recruitment policy on the grounds that Haryana’s youth were allegedly being ignored while candidates from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were getting jobs in the state. He also criticized the 35 percent criterion for Group A and Group B recruitments, claiming that many government posts remain vacant due to the policy.
The protesters, who have been staging demonstrations at the Sector 5 protest site for nearly 5 months, had announced plans to gherao the HPSC office on Wednesday. In anticipation of the march, a heavy police deployment was made near the commission headquarters under the supervision of five DSPs, and barricades were installed to prevent protesters from advancing.
As the demonstrators attempted to march towards the commission office under the banner of the OBC Brigade, police intervened and detained several protesters, including some women participants.
The protesters demanded the immediate withdrawal of the 35 percent recruitment criteria and alleged that the present recruitment system was unfair to Haryana’s youth. Police officials maintained strict security in the area to prevent any law and order situation.
