RO/ARO paper leak allegations: Police gear up against mahapanchayat; 28 detained
Police barricade UPPSC headquarters as students protest alleged paper leak of exams, demand re-examination. 28 students detained, others asked to protest at designated spot. uproar against UPPSC officials for paper leak similarities. UPPSC seeks evidence via email, govt initiates inquiry.
After the call for mahapanchayat on Monday by youths protesting against the alleged paper leak of RO/ARO exams and demanding the re-examination, the police remained on alert and barricaded all crossings at UPPSC headquarters here since morning.
The protesting students, majority of whom are preparing for competitive examinations, started assembling outside the UPPSC headquarters and allegedly argued with police officials following which the cops detained 28 students and asked others to proceed to Dharna Sthal in Civil Lines for staging protest. The detained students were taken to the Naini police station.
The students then marched towards the Dharna Sthal at All Saints Cathedral in large numbers where they raised slogans against UPPSC officials while demanding re-examination of RO/ ARO recruitment.
On Friday too, the students held a mahapanchayat during which they held the UPPSC officials hostage.
After the cancellation of police recruitment examination, the agitating students are demanding that similar decision should be taken regarding the RO and ARO recruitment examination. They claimed that there are much similarities in paper leak pattern in both the examinations.
The UPPSC, meanwhile, has asked aspirants to send evidence of paper leak through an e-mail on roaro2023info@gmail.com till March 2. The government has also initiated an enquiry into the allegations of paper leak and has asked students to send evidence on secyappoint@nic.in till February 27.
The agitating students claim that question papers of RO/ARO and police recruitment examination got leaked soon before the examination started and went viral on social media platforms and WhatsApp groups. The aspirants said that RO/ARO preliminary examination should also be cancelled like police recruitment examination.
It is worth mentioning that the preliminary examination for RO/ARO recruitment was held at 2,387 centres in 58 districts of the state on February 11. UPPSC has already initiated an internal inquiry and has sought reports from nodal officers of all 58 districts. Officials at UPPSC concede that all evidence which have surfaced till now have been provided by aspirants. The aspirants claim that answer key of questions in both shifts went viral around an hour before the examination started.
