BJP stronghold Jammu is simmering with protests by jobless youths with authorities on Wednesday detaining dozens of protesters, including women, after they staged a massive protest in the city against the alleged government failure to make recruitments in border police battalions.

The protesters waved anti-BJP placards and anti-party protests, in a worrying sign for party which sees Jammu as its traditional stronghold.
The protest came a day after 40 unemployed youths were arrested after they staged a protest in the city to demand recruitments in the BSF and Central Industrial Security Force.

Scores of protesters took to streets in Jammu’s Bikram chowk, asking authorities to hold written examinations for police border battalion recruitments.
Dozens of protesters were bundled to police stations in police buses and other security vehicles but not before the youths offered a resistance to prevent their arrests.
The students waved placards that read “BJP Sarkaar Dhokebaaz (BJP government dishonest)” and raised anti-BJP slogans.

Protesters said the recruitment process for the two border battalions announced in 2018 with much fanfare was started in 2019. But the government recently re-advertised the posts. “It has been a long torturous wait for the past four years but last month the posts were re-advertised to our utter shock. Our physical tests were held several months back and we were busy preparing for the interviews but now the entire process has been re-started,” a female protester said.

Another protester said they submitted a memorandum before top government officials in Jammu last month and were promised relief. “But nothing was done. All we were told is that the number of vacancies have been increased for which posts were re-advertised.”

The government has officially given no reason for re-advertising the posts.
In 2019, the government scrapped the special status of the state and held it responsible for the lingering employment and abysmal development in the region. But many believe the things have gone from bad to worse.

In October last year, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) put Jammuy and Kashmir’s unemployment rate at a staggering 21.6 per cent, which was the highest in the country. The rate has since improved a little.

During another protest on Tuesday, authorities briefly detained 40 unemployed youths after they staged a protest and tried to block Tawi bridge.

The protesters said the government had issued a notification in 2018 for 1,356 posts of constables in the BSF and CISF. Tens of thousands of aspirants applied after which there was demand to raise the number of posts. The aspirants claim Union minister Jitendra Singh promised to increase the number of posts but there was no increase when list was rolled out last year.