Amid a growing political row over the students’ protest in Prayagraj, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission today decided to hold a key recruitment exam in a single shift. While the prelims for the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) exam will be held in one day, the commission has decided to set up a committee to look into how the exam to recruit review officers and assistant review officers can be conducted.

The move has, however, failed to pacify the protesting students. The protesters have accused the state service commission of trying to break up the agitation. They have said they will continue to protest till the government decides to hold the exam for RO/ARO posts in a single shift.

The students have been protesting against the commission’s earlier announcement that the two job exams would be held in two shifts over two days. They have demanded “one day, one shift” exams as they fear multiple dates and shifts will raise the risk of paper leaks.

The commission had earlier said the decision to hold exams in shifts was taken for the benefit of the applicants and to uphold the exam’s sanctity. A spokesperson had said they would hold exams only at centres where possibility of irregularities is eliminated. The spokesperson had said that only government or funded educational institutions within a 10-km radius of a bus stand, railway station or treasury, and with no history of suspicion or blacklisting are being designated as examination centres. It is for this reason that the commission had to opt for exams in shifts, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson had also said that a normalisation process will be used to evaluate the results because the exams are being held across multiple days or shifts. This, the panel said, was commonly used across the country and is supported by several court rulings.

But the students were not convinced and stepped up their agitation, leading to chaotic scenes outside the state commission’s office in Prayagraj. Top officials of the commission met today to find a way out and came up with the latest announcement. The decision, it is learnt, was taken after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s intervention.

The students have rejected this solution. “The government is misleading us. We are not moving from here till they announce that RO/ARO exam will also be held in one day, one shift. We have two demands, they have fulfilled one,” said a protester.

Some students also said that it is only a verbal announcement so far and they won’t stop the protest till an official notification for both exams is put out.

“We want both exams in a a single shift. Why are you setting up a committee? They basically want the protesters to go away. They want to weaken the agitation, but we are not moving from here,” a protester said.

A protester said, “There is talk of ‘one nation, one election’ and they can’t even hold an exam for 10 lakh students in a day.” Another protester said the latest announcement was part of a ‘divide and rule’ plan. “They want to separate PCS and RO/ARO. No one will go from here,” he said.

As one of the protesters started criticising the BJP government, others said they don’t want to drag party politics in their agitation.

The Political Backdrop

The state commission’s decision amid the massive protest comes against a political backdrop. Nine Assembly constituencies of the state will vote in the November 20 bypolls and the Opposition Samajwadi Party and the Congress have been trying to corner the Yogi Adityanath government over the Prayagraj protests.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said the “heartless” state government should accept the fair demands of the students, if only out of political considerations.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, said the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission’s attitude was “unfortunate” and “insensitive”. “Why should the students pay the price for the BJP government’s inefficiency,” Mr Gandhi asked.

The Yogi Adityanath government will be looking to tackle this agitation before it gets out of hand. Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya called for an amicable solution. “All competent officials should listen to the demands of the students sensitively and find a quick solution. Ensure that the precious time of the students is not spent in agitation but in their preparation,” he said.