In a dramatic turn of events, a large group of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) aspirants staged a massive protest in Prayagraj on Monday, demanding a rollback of the recently announced exam schedule. The protest, which included sit-ins at the UPPSC headquarters, was sparked by the commission’s decision to hold the Review Officer and Assistant Review Officer (RO-ARO) and Provincial Civil Services (PCS) preliminary exams on two different dates, rather than on a single day as was previously practiced.
The announcement, made by UPPSC on November 5, set the RO-ARO exams for December 22 and 23, to be conducted in three shifts, while the PCS exams are scheduled for December 7 and 8 in two shifts. This split schedule has caused outrage among students, who argue that conducting the exams on separate days could lead to confusion and is unfair to the aspirants.
The students’ main demand is that the exams be held on the same day, as was the norm in the past. The protest began with students staging sit-ins at the UPPSC headquarters, where they were met with a heavy police presence attempting to disperse the crowd. Despite this, the protestors, including many women, continued their agitation. Some students even spent the night under the open sky at the protest site. By Tuesday, many more joined the demonstration, with some returning from their homes to show solidarity.
The students, carrying placards with slogans like “We will not retreat, we will remain united until we get justice” and “One day, one exam,” voiced their frustration over the decision. They were also seen marching with drums and holding an effigy of UPPSC Chairman Sanjay Shrinet, demanding his resignation.
In response to the ongoing protests, the district magistrate and police commissioner held a meeting on Monday to address the concerns raised by the aspirants. However, no clear resolution was reached, and the protest continued into Tuesday.
UPPSC’s Secretary, Ashok Kumar, spoke to PTI regarding the commission’s position, explaining that the decision to hold the exams on different dates was driven by logistical challenges. Kumar stated that only government institutions within a 10-km radius of the district headquarters are used as exam centres, and previously, students had opposed using private institutions due to concerns about security and potential paper leaks.
Kumar further added that with 576,000 candidates registered for the PCS exam and only enough centres for 435,000 students, holding the exams on different days was unavoidable. He emphasized that the UPPSC was working within the constraints of available resources.
Despite the UPPSC’s explanation, the protests are likely to continue as students remain firm in their demands for a fairer and more transparent examination process. The agitation highlights the growing frustration among candidates preparing for highly competitive exams in the state, where scheduling and logistical issues have often led to controversy in the past.
Sources By Agencies