Day 6 of Mega Protest, 244 Held, FIR Filed: Answers Sent on WhatsApp, Police Paper Leak Shocks UP | FAQ & Truth Explained – News18

Lucknow police on Friday registered a First Information Report (FIR) in the Uttar Pradesh police constable recruitment examination paper leak case. The police action came on the fifth day of the agitation of civil service aspirants against the alleged leaking of question papers.

Hundreds of candidates who had appeared for the exam have been protesting across the state demanding a reexamination. The aspirants claim the sanctity of the examination was compromised after a question paper went viral on social media hours before the paper started.

UP police constable recruitment examination: What is the issue?

Over 48 lakh aspirants, including around 16 lakh women, participated in the UP Police Recruitment Exam 2024 held on February 17 and February 18. The exam was conducted at 2,385 centres in four shifts across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh with an aim to fill 60,244 positions in the UP police force.

However, following the examination, numerous candidates have been requesting the state government to reconduct the UP Police Constable Exam 2024, asserting that the question paper of the exam was circulating on various social media platforms before the paper began.

Some X users even shared screenshots of WhatsApp conversations, while several

YouTube videos also supported the claims, amplifying the confusion among

the candidates. However, officials have denied these allegations.

UP Police Constable Exam 2024: Why the protest?

Civil service aspirants have been protesting across UP against the alleged paper leak in the RO/ARO preliminary exam, since Monday (February 19). On Friday, the aspirants held a protest at the front gate of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission in Prayagraj, where agitators raised slogan of “Jo sarkar weak hai, uska parcha leak hai”.

Talking to reporters one of the protesters Abhinav Dwivedi said, “in our ongoing movement against the leaking of question papers of RO (Review Officer), ARO exam, our demand is that this exam should be cancelled and UPPSC Chairman Sanjay Srinet should be removed.”

He alleged that this irregularity happened due to the setting up of examination centres for this examination in other districts.

Hundreds of aspirants also gathered at Eco Garden in Lucknow protesting against the alleged paper leak and demanding for a re-exam.

UP RO/ARO Preliminary Exam: Action Taken So Far

The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board has constituted an internal committee to enquire into all allegations of paper leak and viral question papers and answer sheets on social media.

The recruitment board chairperson Renuka Mishra said that the board had constituted an internal committee in view of the problems being reported by the candidates on social media.

“This committee is within the Board and will assess the process of improvements, if required, for future recruitments and attempt to verify the unverified claims being made on social media after the examination was completed,” she said.

She, however, asserted that “No paper was uploaded before the exam on social media. Everything came after the exam. The question paper is given to the candidate to take home also. So, we need to define the basis of their claims. Whether they are creating it or alleging something. For that, I have formulated an internal committee within the Board to read all these posts and see what the claims are.”

She said the focus of the Board and the state government is always on complete transparency and merit.

The UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board had also sought representation from the aspirants who appeared for the examination along with relevant proofs and evidence by 6 pm on February 23. After examining the submitted representation and evidence, the Board assured to take further action in the interest of the candidates.

UP police arrested or detained as many as 244 people from across the state will 6 pm on February 18 for allegedly adopting or planning to adopt unfair means in the police constable recruitment exam.

“The arrested or detained accused are being interrogated after registering an FIR against them. People and gangs involved in adopting unfair means (in exams) will be caught and strict action will be taken against them,” said Uttar Pradesh police chief Prashant Kumar according to a report by the news agency PTI.

UP Paper Leak: Politics Rife Over The Matter

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the recruitment examination paper leak incidents and demanded a CBI inquiry into them and strict action against the culprits.

“This discussion is taking place in every village of UP. The government is sleeping. Boys and girls are shouting and protesting from Allahabad and Meerut to Lucknow, demanding re-examination. The government is humiliating them and beating them with sticks,” Priyanka Gandhi alleged in a post in Hindi on X.

The Congress leader asked who gets these papers leaked and how they get leaked.

In another post on X, Priyanka Gandhi said her party had proposed a law on recruitment exams in Uttar Pradesh with provisions to stop paper leaks and corruption.

“In view of the paper-leak crisis, our demand is there should be a CBI inquiry into both the recent paper leak incidents and strict action should be taken against the culprits. An exam calendar should be issued in which the dates of advertisement, examination, and appointment are recorded and strict action should be taken in case of its violation,” she said in her post in Hindi.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday also came out in support of agitators and said youngsters from Lucknow to Prayagraj have taken to the streets against the alleged paper leak in police recruitments, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “misleading” them in Varanasi.

He also shared a video on X of youngsters protesting on the streets against the paper leak in police recruitment exams and said Modi is lecturing them about their own backyard.

“From Lucknow to Prayagraj, youngsters are on the streets over the paper leak in police recruitments. And just 100 km away in Varanasi, the prime minister is misleading them…,” Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on the microblogging platform. “In typical Banarasi style, Modiji is telling ‘Nani about nanihal’,” he said, in an apparent reference to lecturing people about their own backyards.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has also voiced support to the agitation saying that BJP does not want to provide jobs or reservations.

Supporting the protest in Prayagraj, Akhilesh Yadav said in a post on X, said, “We are with the agitation of competitive exam aspirants going on at Allahabad Public Service Commission office. BJP does not want to complete any examination because after that job will have to be given and reservation will have to be given for the job. BJP neither wants to provide jobs nor reservations. Today’s youth says they don’t want BJP.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader Dr Arun Kumar, who is MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly has also written to CM Adityanath to conduct the exams again.

“Some young aspirants who appeared for the examination informed me that the question paper of all the four shifts was leaked before the exam on 17 and 18 Feb,” the Minister said as quoted by TOI.

Stating that the matter is serious and could impact the future of the student, Kumar demanded exams be held again.

UP Police Exam Paper Leak: Jobless Man Hangs Self In Kannuj

A 28-year-old jobless man burned all his education certificates and hanged himself in his house in the Bhoodpurwa area in Kannu on Thursday.

Brijesh Pal had recently appeared for a police recruitment exam and was upset over the paper leak, his family members said. In a suicide note he left behind, Pal blamed joblessness for his move to kill himself.

“Now I am upset. What is the use of degrees when one cannot get a job,” he wrote in the note, police said.

“I have betrayed you,” he said to his family, and asked them to marry off his sister “in a very good manner.”

Pal’s father is in a private job in Delhi and has four bigha land in the village. He was the only son of his parents. Sadar Police Station SHO Vishnu Kant Tiwari said Pal’s body has been sent for post-mortem.