After high drama, the police forcefully took Akhila Karnataka State Students’ Association (AKSSA) president Kanthkumar, who had begun an indefinite protest seeking early recruitment notification, into preventive custody in Dharwad on Saturday (May 9).

Seeking an immediate recruitment notification from the State government for filling up 56,432 posts and urging the government to hand over the investigation into alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Mr. Kanthkumar had launched an indefinite protest at the Gandhi Vana in front of the Dharwad Deputy Commissioner’s office on May 9.

After a while, the police arrived at the protest venue and requested him not to protest in Dharwad as the court had not permitted him to do so. Soon, an argument broke out between Mr. Kanthkumar and the police officials, who requested him to end his protest.

As the situation escalated, Police Inspector Dayanand Shegunasi warned Kanthkumar against continuing the agitation. He told him that since the court had not permitted him hold protests in Dharwad, it would be a contempt of court if he continued to protest.

Mr. Kanthkumar, however, was in no mood to listen. He contended that as the elections to Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) were on the anvil, there was likelihood of the State government delaying the recruitment process in the name of poll code of conduct. Although various hurdles including the issue of internal reservation had been resolved, the State government had not taken steps to issue the recruitment notification, he said.

As Mr. Kanthkumar declined to end the protest, the police personnel dragged him and forcefully made him to get into a police vehicle, before driving away. During the ruckus, Mr. Kanthkumar kept raising slogans and alleged that he was being targeted for raising the right questions.