‘1-day, 1-shift’ demand: Staggered UPPSC prelims spark protest in Prayagraj

In response, police teams were deployed and barricades were put up. As the protest intensified, some broke through a few barricades in an attempt to enter the UPPSC campus. Policemen deployed in and around the UPPSC office tried to stop the students from reaching Gate No. 2, but some among the large crowd jostled their way through, raising slogans against the commission.

The police even chased the crowd in order to disperse them, but the agitating students soon gathered again, defying the barricades put up on the roads to stop them from marching ahead.

“The UPPSC decided to hold exams on different dates and in multiple shifts on the pretext of normalisation. This so-called normalisation will only lead to corruption, as each day’s exam will have different question sets. Our protest will continue until this decision is revoked,” said Deepak Gupta, one of the protesters.

He added that on Monday evening, a UPPSC official addressed the group, saying that the decision would not be reversed, which left the aspirants even more agitated.

Last week, UPPSC announced that the RO and ARO preliminary examinations would be held on December 22 and 23 in three shifts, while the PCS preliminary examination would take place on December 7 and 8 in two shifts.

“We are protesting to express our disagreement with the new rules. We’re waiting for the UPPSC chairman to come and talk with us on the recent changes made for the examination,” said a protester, Manish Mishra.

He added that around 15,000 candidates gathered outside gate number 2 of the building. “Social media was used to spread the word, urging aspirants to reach Prayagraj on Monday,” Mishra said.

Targeting the BJP government in the state over the matter, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav extended his support to the candidates. Akhilesh wrote on X in Hindi that the “lathicharge on girls and boys students by anti-youth BJP is a highly condemnable act. When the candidates raised their demands to stop the rigging in UPPSC in Allahabad, the corrupt BJP government became violent. We repeat again: Jobs are not in the agenda of BJP. We are with the youths.”

Meanwhile, in a statement Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has said that maintaining exam integrity and ensuring candidate convenience are its top priorities. Addressing concerns raised by some candidates about the normalisation process, a Commission spokesperson stated in a statement that, to uphold the sanctity of its examinations and safeguard students’ futures, exams are conducted exclusively at centers where the possibility of irregularities is entirely eliminated.

In a statement issued later on Monday, a spokesperson for the Commission announced that to “ensure the integrity and quality” of examinations, only government or funded educational institutes located within a 10-km radius of a bus stand, railway station, or treasury, and with no history of suspicion, controversy, or blacklisting, would be designated as examination centres. This arrangement has been implemented in response to candidates’ demands for “maintaining exam purity and quality,” the statement said.

He added that in this regard, it is “essential to hold exams in multiple shifts” as there are over 500,000 candidates.

The spokesperson also sought to clarify that when exams are held across multiple days or shifts for a single advertisement, the “normalisation process is essential for evaluating the results.” This approach is commonly used by several prestigious recruitment bodies and commissions across the country, and it is supported by several court rulings. The Radhakrishnan Committee, formed by the Supreme Court for NEET exam, has also recommended conducting the exam in two shifts, and the police recruitment examination was held in two shifts.

The spokesperson also mentioned that the Commission has received a letter from some candidates who claimed that “certain Telegram channels and YouTubers are conspiring to postpone the examination”. These channels are spreading confusion about the normalisation process and misleading candidates. However, many candidates, for whom both the examination and timing are crucial, have expressed support for the Commission’s decision, he said.

The spokesperson added that the “government’s and the Commission’s primary goal is to safeguard students’ interests and ensure selection based on merit.” “The selection process has been designed with full transparency and in consideration of students’ best interests. Additionally, all necessary information is being provided to the candidates regarding the process,” the statement said.

“In the context of normalisation, the Commission welcomes suggestions from candidates. Anyone with recommendations for improvement or a better system is encouraged to submit them. These suggestions will be reviewed by a committee of eminent experts, ensuring that the necessary purity and quality, in the best interest of the candidates, would be upheld,” the spokesperson said in the statement. – WITH PTI