E-Paper
Over 50% candidates skip RO/ARO prelim exam in Lucknow
Around 48.8 percent of candidates turned up for the exam. A total of 61,512 were registered to appear in the said exam held at 129 centres in UP capital
More than 50% of the candidates skipped the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) Preliminary Examination–2023 in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on Sunday.
“Around 48.8 percent of candidates turned up for the exam. A total of 61,512 were registered to appear in the said exam held at 129 centres of Lucknow,” said district magistrate Vishak G.
Some candidates alleged that invigilators forcibly removed all their “Kalawa” (sacred thread), water bottles and other belongings outside the centres to ensure that the candidates do not resort to any kind of foul play. The exam was held in one shift from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on popular demands of candidates.
On March 2, 2024, chief minister Yogi Adityanath ordered cancellation of the said exam following reports of a paper leak on social media. The CM had then directed that the exam be conducted again within six months, an official said. His decision came after a thorough review of the said exam which was conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) on February 11, 2024.
The complaints regarding certain questions from the question paper circulating widely on social media were discussed during the review meeting. In response, the government issued a release urging the public to provide evidence related to any attempts to influence the examination.
Subsequently, in view of the evidence provided to the government and the report made available by the UPPSC, the CM ordered cancellation of the exam. Lucknow divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob inspected various exam centres with the aim of conducting the exam in a free, fair and transparent manner.
She visited the Government Jubilee Inter College exam centre where she inspected all the arrangements. Security arrangements, availability of staff, seating arrangements, toilets, drinking water as well as lighting in classrooms and functioning of CCTV cameras were found to be as per the prescribed standards.
Next, Jacob thoroughly inspected the exam centres of Government Girls Inter College (Samina Road), Government Girls Inter College (Hussainabad) and Shia PG College/Shia Inter College.
During the inspection, all the arrangements at the exam centres were found to be satisfactory. While inspecting the control room, all CCTV cameras were found to be in working condition. Instructions were also given for active monitoring of CCTV cameras in all the rooms and to keep the recordings safe.
