Police barricades came down on Monday morning as officers dispersed a YSRCP protest outside the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) office in Vijayawada. The clash was not just between protesters and police, but between two groups with competing grievances. YSRCP workers demanded a CBI probe into the Mega DSC-2025 sports quota, alleging that candidates with dubious certificates snatched jobs from genuine athletes. As the opposition clashed with law enforcement, a group of appointed sports-quota teachers arrived on the scene to defend their positions. The situation exploded into a shouting match, then a physical altercation, leaving one teacher with a reported head injury.
The tension had been building for weeks. On May 1, 2025, SAAP released a notification for 421 teaching posts under the 3% horizontal reservation for meritorious sportspersons. The selection process bypassed written exams, relying instead on sports certifications. In the end, 372 candidates secured jobs. YSRCP Youth Empowerment Convener and former APPSC board member Salam Babu stood at the forefront of the opposition, accusing the state government of prioritizing political connections over merit. "The government should answer the allegations instead of using the police to suppress the voice of job aspirants," Babu told reporters. He and other party leaders argued that genuine sportspersons had been systematically sidelined in favor of those with fabricated credentials.
The narrative flipped when the TDP entered the fray. Sports Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy and TDP MLA Eluri Sambasiva Rao rejected the YSRCP narrative, accusing the opposition of importing "outside elements" and "rowdy-sheeters" to create chaos. They claimed the protest was a拙 orchestrated attempt to discredit the appointed teachers, who, they argued, had spent years earning their medals. The teachers themselves were defiant, vowing to defend their hard-won appointments against what they described as baseless attacks.
The government's response has been measured but firm. Officials confirmed that the eligibility and authenticity of every certificate are under individual examination. The state has warned that any candidate found to have submitted a fake document or violated eligibility norms will face immediate action. The police had initially denied permission for the protest, citing prohibitory orders and security arrangements for the Vinayaka immersion processions in Vijayawada. Despite this, the YSRCP workers gathered, leading to the forcible dispersal and detention of several activists.
The audit is now the battleground. With 372 appointments on the line, the outcome of the certificate verification will determine whether the DSC-2025 sports quota is seen as a merit-based opportunity or a vehicle for corruption. The next phase of this conflict will likely unfold in the courts, as YSRCP prepares legal challenges and the state finalizes its audit findings. For the teachers, the stakes are their livelihoods; for the government, it's the integrity of the public service commission.