Students Protest Outside UP Public Service Commission Office in Prayagraj Over Exam Schedules

Prayagraj (UP): Hundreds of students gathered outside the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) office in Prayagraj today, demanding changes to the schedule of a major recruitment exam. The protest started after UPPSC announced that exams for Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) posts would be held in two shifts over two days.

Students are calling for a “one day, one shift” exam format, fearing that holding exams on different days raises the risk of paper leaks and unfair practices. While UPPSC announced that the preliminary exam for the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) would now be held in a single shift, students insist that the same change should apply to the RO/ARO exams as well.

“We won’t leave until both exams are scheduled for one day and one shift,” one student said, arguing that multi-shift exams are unfair.

UPPSC officials explained that they chose the two-day format to ensure security and to manage the large number of candidates. They clarified that only trusted government-run centers, close to public transport, are being used for the exams. Additionally, they assured students that results would be normalized to account for any differences in the exam conditions, a method commonly used across India.

Despite these assurances, students remain unsatisfied, calling the latest decision “a tactic to break up the protest.” They demanded an official notification and questioned the need to set up a new committee to review the exam schedule.

With local elections just days away, opposition leaders have voiced support for the students. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called on the government to accept students' demands, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the UPPSC’s decision as “insensitive.” Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also asked officials to address the students’ concerns swiftly, urging that students’ time should be spent studying, not protesting.

As the protests continue, the UP government is under pressure to resolve the issue before the upcoming bypolls.