Uttar Pradesh: UPPSC agrees to hold preliminary exam in one day following student protests in Prayagraj

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) will conduct the preliminary examination in one day, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said on Thursday. The decision came after several aspirants in Prayagraj protested outside the UPPSC office, demanding that the PCS and RO/ARO exams be conducted in one day and one shift.

UPPSC secretary Ashok Kumar met the protesting students on Thursday. Later, the CMO said a committee was formed by the Commission for RO/ARO preliminary Examination. “The committee will consider all aspects and submit its detailed report soon,” ANI quoted the CMO as saying.

The CMO's statement further stated that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the demand of students in Prayagraj and asked the Commission to take necessary decisions by communicating and coordinating with the students regarding the PCS Preliminary Examination 2024.

A video shared by ANI showed a huge police deployment as a large number of aspirants gathered at the protest site on Thursday. They demanded the implementation of 'Single Day, Single Sheet' exams in Prayagraj.

Rahul Gandhi reacts

Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to social media to criticize the Uttar Pradesh government's attitude towards the aspirants of the competitive exam as “insensitive”.

Gandhi posted on X, “The attitude of the UP government and Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission towards the competitive students in Prayagraj is extremely insensitive and unfortunate.”

“A non-transparent system in the name of normalisation is unacceptable, and the students' demand for examination in one shift is absolutely justified,” Gandhi said.

Reacting to the protests in Prayagraj, Gandhi said, “Students who were 'studying' have been forced to 'fight' on the streets and are now being harassed by the police.”

“We will not accept this injustice against the youth who are staying away from home and studying to fulfil their and their families' dreams,” he said.