By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Dehradun: Hundreds of unemployed youths staged a protest march towards the Uttarakhand Secretariat in Dehradun on Monday, demanding the immediate commencement of pending recruitment processes in various government departments.
The protesters under the banner of Uttarakhand Berojgar Sangh (UBS) first assembled at Parade Ground before taking out a march towards the Secretariat. However, as they reached Subhash Road, police personnel, who had erected barricades ahead of the Secretariat, stopped them from proceeding further.
Angered by the police action, the protesters staged a sit-in on the road and raised slogans against the state government, accusing it of delaying recruitment despite repeated assurances. The demonstration led to traffic disruption in the area for some time as protesters remained seated on the road pressing for their demands.
The unemployed youth urged the government to expedite the recruitment process for Assistant Engineer (AE) and Junior Engineer (JE) posts through the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC). They also demanded that all pending recruitment drives in various government departments be initiated without further delay.
Among their key demands was the immediate issuance of a recruitment notification for 1,500 posts in the Uttarakhand Police. They also sought the early commencement of the recruitment process for 400 vacancies of women police constables, saying the prolonged delay had left thousands of aspirants frustrated.
The protesters warned that if the government failed to address their demands promptly, they would intensify their agitation in the coming days, said Suresh Singh, vice president of the Berojgar Sangh.
A heavy police deployment remained in place throughout the protest to maintain law and order. No untoward incident was reported during the demonstration.