Sambalpur, Oct. 26: Police have arrested 27 persons belonging to different organisations to thwart possible protest against candidates, who would appear for recruitment as sikshya sahayaks (para teachers), from other districts.

The certificate verification for 56 posts of Rengali block in Sambalpur education district and two posts of Rairakhol education district was going on in Sambalpur today.

Around 256 candidates had turned up for verification of their certificates.

However, activists protested against the state-level appointment of the sikshya sahayaks and demanded that candidates from the district should be recruited.

Last month, in Phulbani, local people attacked candidates from other districts when they had turned up for verification of certificates for the posts of sikshya sahayak. The police arrested Lambodar Kanhar, leader of the Kui Samaj, which had spearheaded the protest against people from other districts turning up for jobs.

“Appointment of sikshya sahayaks should be made from the district. These jobs are meant for the local unemployed youths of this district. Candidates from other district should not be allowed,” said Dilip Padhee, a protester.

“Because of the state-level appointment policy, candidates of the undeveloped areas are being deprived of jobs,” he added.

The police here made wide security arrangement to control any untoward incident “Twenty-seven persons have been arrested. This is a preventive arrest,” said additional superintendent of police Dilip Kumar Deo.

Sub-collector of Sambalpur Rainu Singh said: “This is a state policy. We cannot do any thing in this regard.”