Thousands of students gathered at Jubilee Circle in Dharwad on Thursday to demand an increase in the age limit for Karnataka police recruitment and the immediate filling of vacant posts across various government departments. The protest was organised by the All Karnataka State Students Association.
The protesters highlighted that vacancies, including those for Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), constable, FDA, and SDA posts, have remained unfilled for several years. They said that the selection process for constable and PSI positions has been on hold for four to five years, while FDA and SDA posts have been vacant for seven to eight years. As a result, many aspirants have exceeded the current upper age limit.
Students demand age relaxation and recruitment
The demonstrators called on the Congress-led Karnataka government to grant at least five years of age relaxation and to restart the recruitment process immediately. They also requested a review of the existing Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) notification, citing errors in the Kannada translation.
“The prolonged delay has impacted lakhs of students and coaching centres across the state,” said a protester. “We want the government to act swiftly, provide age relaxation, and fill vacant posts without further delay.”
Police struggle to control the crowd
Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar visited the protest site and attempted to pacify the students. The demonstration caused severe traffic congestion, blocking all vehicular movement except for ambulances, and it took more than four hours for normal traffic to resume.
Widespread demand for age limit revision
The students’ protest is part of a larger demand across Karnataka to increase the age limit for police recruitment. A similar procession was held in Mysuru on September 11, 2025, advocating for age limits of 30 years for general candidates and 33 years for SC/ST candidates. Currently, the general age limit in Karnataka is 25 years, and 27 years for reserved categories.
Despite support from politicians, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the government has yet to take official action. Aspirants argue that Karnataka has one of the lowest age limits in the country, with most states allowing general candidates up to 28–33 years and SC/ST/OBC candidates up to 32–38 years.