Calls for justice drown in chaos as police lathicharge protesting candidates in UP

Prayagraj: A peaceful protest by candidates turned chaotic in front of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) office when police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse the crowd. The crackdown left many students injured, with some reportedly hurt in a stampede.

Roughly 10,000 candidates gathered nearby to continue their protest, vowing not to leave until their demands are met, chanting: “We will not divide. We want justice.”

The protest began on Monday when thousands of candidates for the UP PCS (Provincial Civil Services) and RO/ARO (Review Officer and Assistant Review Officer) exams arrived from various states to voice concerns over recent exam scheduling changes. The commission’s decision to implement a “normalisation” process, along with a multi-day exam format, has sparked widespread discontent among the candidates, who are demanding that exams be conducted on a single day without normalisation adjustments.

Normalisation is a scoring method used when exams are held over multiple days or shifts with different question papers. To adjust for slight variations in difficulty across different test papers, the UPPSC plans to apply a normalisation formula to balance scores and prevent an advantage for candidates in less challenging shifts.

Aware of the planned protest, authorities set up extensive security measures around the UPPSC office, with barricades placed roughly 500 metres from the premises. However, the situation escalated as candidates attempted to breach the barricades.

After the lathicharge, police closed all entry points to the commission’s office, further intensifying the stand-off between security forces and the protesting students.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav condemned the government’s handling of

the protest.