‘News, Space Rani, He Ram’: Unusual names among candidates who cleared Chhattisgarh police recruitment spark row

The CGPSC insisted all the names on the list are genuine and matched the information candidates submitted in their application forms and documents

Unusual names News, Space Rani, He Ram, and Bhakt Prahlad on the list of candidates who cleared Chhattisgarh’s police recruitment preliminary examination have gone viral on social media and triggered a controversy, with the Opposition Congress questioning the credibility of the process and alleging irregularities.

The list of candidates went viral on social media. (X)

The Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC), which conducted the preliminary examination for 341 police posts on July 12, rejected the allegations, insisting all the names on the list are genuine and matched the information candidates submitted in their application forms and documents. The results were announced on August 4, and 7,301 candidates qualified for the main examination.

The controversy began after screenshots of the list showing the unusual names circulated online. Former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel mocked the list in a post on X.

State Congress communication department chief Sushil Anand Shukla alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government failed to ensure transparency in recruitment. He noted this happened despite a promise to conduct examinations on the lines of the Union Public Service Commission. Shukla claimed that recruitment and promotion examinations held in the state over the past two-and-a-half years were under suspicion.

The CGPSC termed the allegations misleading and baseless. It said that the candidates appeared for document verification, physical tests and the preliminary examination under the same names, which were also printed on their admit cards.

The commission appealed to candidates and the public against relying on misinformation circulating on social media and advised them to refer only to information published on its official website.

News Kumar Pradhan, who qualified the exam, said his surname was never recorded on his Class 10 marksheet. He added that his educational certificates and Aadhaar card only feature the name News. “People are questioning my name without verifying the facts,” he said.

He Ram, another successful candidate, said his surname Kashyap does not appear in any of his official records and that he had filled the application form exactly as per his documents. Bhakt Prahlad also clarified that his name is recorded in the same manner across all his official documents, including his bank passbook. He urged people not to create unnecessary confusion over the issue.

The Chhattisgarh list went viral against the backdrop of protests over examination irregularities. A protest and a hunger strike in Ranchi against the alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations entered its 14th day on Friday.

The JPSC postponed the Combined Civil Services Mains Examination scheduled from July 25 to 27, citing “unavoidable circumstances” amid mounting protests. Activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike galvanised the student protests in Delhi and ended with Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over exam irregularities last month.