UP Police Constable Recruitment: Aspirants up in Arms After ‘Paper Leak’, Demand Re-examination

Lucknow: 'Ek hi nara, ek hi naam, re-exam, re-exam', "Har zor zulm ki takkar mein, sangharsh hamara naara hai slogans reverberated in Eco Garden ground, Lucknow as thousands of civil service aspirants on Friday staged a massive protest against the alleged paper leaks of Uttar Pradesh police constable recruitment. 

Furious aspirants tried to march towards the Assembly several times, but the police personnel at the spot barricaded and closed the main gate of the protest site, Eco Garden.

Ashwani Verma, a candidate of Ambedkar Nagar, told NewsClick, "Many aspirants had accessed the question paper hours before the exam began. In such circumstances, our hard work went in vain. This is why we have been demanding to cancel the exam and conduct it again."

Aadesh and Akash, who were part of the protest, said that even before the paper started, answers to about 145 questions had reached thousands of candidates, dashed their dreams, leaving them in limbo. 

"We have been waiting for the exam for the past 5-6 years and when it was held, the paper leaked. A student from a poor family background who spent many years preparing for the examination is hopeless and only suicide left as an option for them in this situation," Akash told NewsClick. 

Rahul Kumar, a candidate from Mahoba, said: “The result of this exam will impact our fortunes in a big way.  Several videos that revealed the question paper was leaked and accessible online went viral on social media.”

Another aspirant, Abhigayn Mishra of Moradabad, claimed that when he returned home after writing the exam on day one, he came to know that the paper was leaked. "We came to know from Telegram and WhatsApp that paper was leaked," he said.

The UP Police Recruitment & Promotion Board (UPPRB) on Thursday sought representation from the general public and candidates along with evidence in connection with the alleged UP police constable paper leak.

The board has issued a notice asking all those who wish to submit their representation to submit relevant proofs and mention their names, addresses, mobile numbers and Aadhaar numbers in their applications.

The recruitment exam, held on February 17 and 18, was marred by allegations of paper leak on social media. Candidates alleged that the paper was available at a price between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh, claiming that many candidates had it 8-12 hours before the commencement of the exam.

Nearly 48 lakh candidates had applied for the posts of 60,244 constables while 244 people were arrested for indulging in fraudulent activities during the recruitment exam.

Aspirant Dies by Suicide

A 25-year-old youth died by suicide by hanging himself in Kannauj on Friday. Before the suicide, the youth left a note in which he stated what was the use of a degree which could not get a job. He also wrote in it that he had burnt the documents related to his qualification (B.Sc).

Brajesh Pal (25), a native of Bhudpurwa Shajapur village of Sadar Kotwali area in Kannauj district, was preparing for competitive exams.

The mother of the deceased told NewsClick that her son had also applied for the Uttar Pradesh police recruitment examination. On February 18, Brajesh had gone to Lalitpur district to appear for the examination. He remained silent ever since he came back from the exam. 

"He was upset due to the paper leak. On Thursday night, after having dinner with us, he went to his room to sleep. He committed suicide by hanging himself with her sister's dupatta from the ceiling fan. I was shocked to see my son's body hanging in the morning when I entered his room for breakfast," she said with tears rolling down. 

Neighbours gathered after hearing screaming and informed local police about the incident. 

Kamlesh Kumar, Circle officer (Sadar) who is also investigating the case said, "We have recovered the suicide note from the youth who committed suicide. He mentioned in the note that he was taking the extreme step as he was unable to get a job despite holding a degree. He requested his parents to forgive him and he was responsible for his death. Therefore, his parents should not be questioned."

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP government in the wake of the incident saying it's a "dream" finding a job under its regime. "BJP, which deploys every trick to come into power, turns away in the name of providing jobs. It is a very sad news that upset with the tragedy of joblessness, a young man from Kannauj, Brajesh Pal, committed suicide by hanging himself," Yadav said X (Twitter).