Maharashtra: Thousands of Students Hit the Road Against Postponement of MPSC Exams

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) issued a notice on Thursday morning that angered youths all over Maharashtra. The commission said that the disaster management department has asked for examinations to be postponed due to the rising cases of COVID-19. “Various districts have come up with different reasons for a lockdown. So, exams shall be postponed,” it announced.

The notice came as a shock to more than two lakh students from all over Maharashtra who were preparing for the examination which was scheduled on March 14. The delay in exams will hit students who were preparing for a last shot at the examinations due to the age limit. As a result, thousands of students gathered in Pune immediately after notice was made public.

It could be the beginning of a state-wide protest. To end the protest in Pune the police allegedly lathi-charged the students. By evening reports from Aurangabad, Nasik, Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Amravati mentioned that students were protesting.

“I have been appearing for the exams for the last five years. By postponing the exams the government is being unfair to candidates like me. I will cross the age limit and so will miss another chance to appear for the examination,” said Yogesh Tamhane from Pune.

“If the state government can hold a legislative session; if it can allow gram panchayat elections; if local services are on in Mumbai then why not the MPSC exams?,” asked Shekhar Gosavi, another candidate from Nashik.

“The exam was first scheduled on April 5, 2020. It has been postponed four times now. If the UPSC can conduct exams then why not the MPSC?,” asked Manali Patil, a candidate from Kolhapur.

The students’ outcry forced Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to hold an immediate meeting with Relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar. He called senior officers from the MPSC to discuss the preparations for the exams.

Meanwhile, Wadettiwar, who has been in hospital on account of COVID-19, issued a video statement where he supported the students’ cause and said exams should be conducted. The MPSC also issued another statement which said that a decision would be taken once consultations with the government were over.