Cuttack, Oct. 13: Youth Congress activists today got involved in a scuffle with police outside the revenue divisional commissioner's office, where the party members had organised a demonstration in protest against the growing unemployment scenario in the state.

Two policemen and two demonstrators of the Cuttack Lok Sabha Youth Congress Committee were injured when the activists pelted the cops with stones as the police tried to prevent them from entering the office. The agitators forcibly tried to storm into the office by jumping the barricades. Later, they managed it and ransacked the office.

Additional deputy commissioner of police Sudarshan Sethi was among the injured.

"We had come to stage a peaceful demonstration and submit a memorandum to governor S.C. Jamir through the commissioner over the unemployment issue. But, the police personnel arbitrarily stopped us and misbehaved with us," said committee president Aryavir Lenka.

Lenka alleged that the unemployment scenario in the state had assumed serious proportions.

The state has nearly 11 lakh unemployed youth, while the government has engaged only 35,849 in various public sectors and 42,222 have been provided jobs in the private sector.

The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government has signed a number of MoUs with nearly 49 companies for setting up steel plants in the past 15 years with a target to provide jobs to nearly 65,000 Odia youths in the state. The government had also announced to provide employment opportunities to 48,000 people through the Posco Steel project, which is yet to see the light of the day.

"We have sought the immediate intervention of the governor. The unemployed youth in Odisha are leading a miserable life. We will intensify our agitation if no concrete step is taken to create more job opportunities in the state," Lenka said.