‘One day, one exam’: Relentless aspirants’ protest enters 2nd day

Prayagraj: Undeterred by the chaotic scenes which unfolded on Monday, the aspirants continued their agitation for second day in a row against the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission’s (UPPSC) decision to conduct the RO-ARO (Review Officer and Assistant Review Officer) and PCS preliminary examinations on different dates.

The protesters laid siege to the UPPSC headquarters here on Monday, staging a sit-in even as a large posse of police personnel tried to disperse them. They resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd, leaving many students injured. In a bid to find a solution, the district magistrate and the police commissioner held a meeting late on Monday. However, it remained inconclusive.

Most of the protesters spent the night under the open sky, while as night made way for day, those who had gone home, returned on Tuesday morning to join the agitation at

the commission’s gate.

The students were seen holding placards with slogans like: “We will not retreat, we will remain united until we get justice”, and “One day, one exam”. The agitators were seen beating drums while carrying an effigy of UPPSC chairman Sanjay Shrinet, raising slogans against him.

“UPPSC Secretary Ashok Kumar came out twice to reason with the students who remained firm on their demand for ‘one day, one exam’,” Ganesh Singh, one of the protesters, said. “If the Union Public Service Commission can conduct exams on a single day, why can’t the UPPSC do the same,” he asked.

Meanhwhile, RSS’ student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) said in a statement that in light of the concerns raised by the aspirants, the UPPSC should take prompt steps to address their issues.

“The candidates have been raising concerns over the guidelines set by the commission for the upcoming PCS and RO-ARO exams, leading to protests at different levels. The ABVP demands the UPPSC to promptly resolve these concerns. The integrity and transparency of the exams must not be compromised, and all the issues regarding centre allocation and normalisation must be addressed with utmost seriousness,” ABVP national secretary Ankit Shukla said in the statement.

Abhay Pratap Singh, ABVP secretary, Kashi region, said:“We demand the UPPSC to resolve the concerns raised by the candidates at the earliest. We also call upon the commission to increase the number of districts where the exams will be conducted. The ABVP condemns the use of force against the protesting candidates and reiterates that dialogue is the only solution to all such issues.”