Candidates shiver as MPPSC strips them of woollens in exam halls

To check the use of unfair means, the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission on Sunday allegedly forced the State Administrative Services candidates in Bhopal to take off their mangalsutras, socks and woollens, leaving them literally shivering with cold and anger in the examination halls.

Updated on: Jan 25, 2016, 17:52:09 IST

Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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To check the use of unfair means, the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission on Sunday (MPPSC) allegedly forced the State Administrative Services (SAS) candidates in Bhopal to take off their mangalsutras, socks and woollens, leaving them literally shivering with cold and anger in the examination halls.

The MP Public Service commission examination was held at 564 centres across the state. (Shankar Mourya/HT photo)

The examination was held at 564 centres across the state. About 2.45 lakh candidates had applied, but only 80% had appeared in it on Sunday, according to the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission figures.

Bhopal division examination observer VR Khare admitted that the examinees had been asked to take off their jackets, shawls and stoles in the examination hall with a view to checking the use of unfair means. Instructions to this effect had been conveyed to the candidates in advance, he said.

Justifying the step, he said the organizers didn’t want the credibility of the SAS examination questioned as was that of the AIPMT (wherein the candidates were caught in the examination halls with bluetooth devices and SIM cards stitched to their shirts).However, the candidates disliked being asked to take off their woollens in the winter without the organizers making arrangement for heaters in the halls. They termed it as a case of human rights violation.

One of the examinees said the only saving grace was that the candidates weren’t asked to take off their clothes and wondered why they were asked to remove their socks. “This kind of behaviour caused a lot of inconvenience to the candidates,” he said.

One Sunita Jain from Ratalam said that the invigilators even asked women candidates to take off their mangalsutras and other ornaments. They didn’t even allow those who were suffering from cold and cough to carry a handkerchief, she said, adding, “This examination was a punishment for us.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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