A protester said the job aspirants will take out a Secretariat march to press for the demands, including the postponement of the DSC exam.
Published Jul 15, 2024 | 10:03 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 15, 2024 | 12:16 PM
The protesting students dispersed by 3 am on Sunday. A local chemist said Bonalu festival could be the reason for calling off the agitation. (Deepika Pasham/South First)
Police were deployed in large numbers even as Ashok Nagar and other areas that witnessed late-night protests on Saturday remained calm with the protesters returning to their accommodations.
Students had hit the streets in Ashok Nagar and Dilsukhnagar on Saturday, 13 July night, demanding the postponement of Group-II and III exams, and the District Selection Committee (DSC) test to recruit teachers.
The immediate trigger for the protest seemed to be Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s statement that the DSC exam would not be deferred. Attending an interactive programme on Quality Engineering Education in Telangana organized at JNTU, Hyderabad campus, on Saturday.
Soon after the chief minister’s statement, students poured out into Ashok Nagar, a coaching centre hub in Secunderabad, holding placards and lit candles. They demanded the postponement of the exam.
The job aspirants have been demanding the exam postponement for a week now. The chief minister, however, said political interests and coaching centres instigated the aspirants.
On Sunday evening, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka told reporters that the government would provide all possible assistance to the unemployed.
“The previous government had not conducted Group-I, Group-II and DSC exams and the unemployed were left in the dark. After the Congress government came to power, appointment documents were issued to 30,000 people within three months,” he claimed.
The recruitment process for another 13,321 employees has reached its final stage. This includes posts like Gurukul PET, Assistant Engineers, Divisional Account Officers, Librarians, Junior Lecturers, and Medical Lab Assistants. We have expedited the job calendar release process,” Vikramarka said.
He said the current government re-notified the DSC exam, and 2.79 lakh aspirants applied. “Already 2.5 lakh people have downloaded the hall tickets. We have set up a 24/7 grievance cell. DSC exams will be conducted from 18 July to 5 August,” he added.
“The previous government released a notification for Group -III exams for 1,380 posts and 5,36,477 aspirants applied. But the exams were not conducted. As soon as our government came, we fixed the dates. The aspirants can reach out to ministers and submit representations,” he added.
Earlier, the protesting job aspirant claimed that the Group I, II and DSC exams were tightly scheduled, leaving them little time to prepare. They also demanded increasing the Group-I and II posts.
The protest went on till 3 am on Sunday, 14 July. The Chikkadpally police said over 30 detained students were released but warned of strict action against any further protest that would affect peace.
K Tarun, a chemist having a store in Ashok Nagar, said the Bonalu festival made the students disperse.
Job aspirant Krishna recalled AICC leader Rahul Gandhi visiting them in November last, and realising their “unfathomable” plight.
“Today, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is terming us ‘rotten okras’,” he claimed. “Does he have the Group-II, and III exams and DSC? Some students write these three exams and if they are conducted continuously how can one appear for exams,” he asked.
Several coaching centres that South First contacted refused to comment. However, one of them said the exams were being held after years and there had been instances of question papers being leaked.
“A committee must be set up to discuss the issues of the aspirants are their requirements. We urge the students to not be stubborn and prepare for their exams instead of sitting in protests. The aspirants will lose if the government sticks to the exams schedule,” the centre, which requested anonymity, said.
Meanwhile, another aspirant, who was among the protesters, said there was no politics involved in their agitation. “We were planning for protests and coordinated over WhatsApp groups. We decided to hold peaceful protests. This was not sudden. We have also decided to take out a Chalo Secretariat march on Monday, 15 July,” protester Shwetha said.
“Our demands are simple. Increase the Group II and III posts, conduct Group I first and then Group II and III. There is a clash of Group II and DSC exam dates. We are requesting enough time between the two,” she said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
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