MUMBAI (Maharashtra, India): A massive uproar over omission of quota for tribal candidates has forced the government in the Indian state of Maharashtra to cancel an advertisement for the recruitment of watchmen in the Tribal Development Department.
The government in the Indian state of Maharashtra was forced to cancel an advertisement for the recruitment of watchmen in the Tribal Development Department after an uproar over the omission of quota for tribal candidates.
Maharashtra Minister for Tribal Development Ashok Uike ordered officials to withdraw the advertisement after it failed to include reservations for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. The minister also ordered that a fresh recruitment advertisement that showed the reservations for candidates from the ST category.
The directions from the minister came after several organizations across the state lodged their protest on Tuesday over the omission of the ST reservation in the advertisement. Representatives of several tribal organizations submitted memoranda at several places across the state, including Gondia, Nashik and Chandrapur. Acting swiftly, Uike convened an urgent online meeting with senior officials of the meeting and instructed them to withdraw the advertisement and issue a fresh one that would be in accordance with the existing rules.
Uike said that the revised recruitment process would include reservations for ST candidates, ensuring that no eligible applicant is deprived of opportunities. He also appealed to the public not to believe in rumors, assuring that the government was committed to protecting the rights of tribal communities.
The controversy erupted after the office of the Commissioner, Tribal Development Department of the Government of Maharashtra released an advertisement on April 27, 2026, for the recruitment of 416 watchmen across various districts in the state. These posts are to be filled up in Ahilyanagar, Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Pune, Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Solapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Yavatmal, Amravati, Nanded, Hingoli, Akola, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur and Wardha. The advertisement indicated the reservations for various categories like Scheduled Castes (SC), Nomadic Tribes (NT), Denotified Tribes (DT) and others, it did not show any posts reserved for ST candidates. This triggered a severe backlash from the tribal community in the state, forcing the government to withdraw the advertisement on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad had warned of an agitation over the issue. The absence of ST quota in the recruitment advertisement was an injustice on the tribal people of Maharashtra, the organization said in a memorandum sent to the Chief Minister.
In a separate development, the government on Tuesday decided to revive 151 Group C and Group D posts that had previously been classified as defunct. These positions will be filled up as a one-time special measure primarily to give government jobs to the next of kin of victims of atrocities under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The government had issued a detailed notification for such appointments in November 2025.
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