UP: 11 Protesting Students Arrested in Prayagraj, Hundreds Lathi-Charged on Eve of Bypolls

As many as eleven protesting students on the fair conduct of UPSC polls have been arrested as per reports on Wednesday evening, November 13. The Indian Express reports that while supply of water at the protest site has been made scarce, UPPSC aspirants opposing 2-shift exams say ‘na batenge, na hatenge’. Meanwhile media reports also say that students demonstrating against UPPSC’s decision to hold RO-ARO & PCS preliminary exams in 2 shifts claim police have forced eateries, shops at protest site to shut down.

Thousands of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) aspirants protesting for the third straight day outside the UPPSC office in Prayagraj are struggling to secure necessities, such as food and water reports PTI. Students have been agitating the UPPSC proposal to conduct the review officer or assistant review officer (RO/ARO) and UP provincial civil service (PCS) exams in two shifts. They insist that the multi-shift exams risk unfair normalisation, where scores are adjusted based on variations in test difficulty across shifts. The UPPSC has defended its decision, citing logistical constraints, stating that managing a single shift for 11 lakh aspirants would require significant resources, which are not currently available. According to a source within the UPPSC, the two-shift approach aligns with a June government order mandating multiple shifts for exams with over five lakh registered candidates.

Initially, the protest led to clashes with the police after students gathered at gates 2 and 3 of the UPPSC office premises. Policemen reportedly resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. Despite the hardships, the exam aspirants have held their ground, spending two nights at the site. Many women aspirants who have joined the protest have, so far, not even informed their families about their participation. The police, claiming to “maintain order”, have assigned a demarcated area near the Civil Lines police station for students to protest peacefully. With posters that read “Na batenge na hatenge (We will not be divided nor back down)”, students are echoing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s slogan, “Batenge toh katenge (Divided we fall)” to reflect their strong sense of solidarity.

The students’ demands have started resonating beyond Prayagraj. In support, UPSC aspirants in Delhi organised a rally Tuesday evening, and similar protests will likely happen in Patna and Jaipur. Many protesters in Prayagraj have travelled from states such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi. They shared buses and are now sharing rooms to participate in the movement.

More than 11 lakh candidates will appear for the UPPSC RO/ARO exam, initially scheduled for January 29 and February 2 but postponed following a paper leak. According to present schedules, the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) Preliminary Examination will be conducted over two days, on December 7 and 8, while the Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) Preliminary Examination 2023 will be held in three shifts on December 22 and 23. The UPPSC’s recent notification rescheduled the exam for December and introduced the controversial two-shift format, sparking protests among students who feel the structure disadvantages them.

The protests have drawn attention from heavyweight political leaders, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi even voicing their support for the protesting students. Meanwhile, Congress has sharply criticised the BJP govt in Uttar Pradesh over ‘police action’ against protesting UPPSC students.  Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it is unfortunate that ‘lathi charge’ was done on students protesting for their demands in Prayagraj.

Condemning the police “highhandedness”, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had also termed the BJP government in the state “anti-youth” and “anti-student”.

The Congress on Tuesday, November 12 alleged that police in Prayagraj lathi-charged students raising their voice against the “arbitrariness” of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission and claimed that earlier also attempts have been made to suppress the voice of the youth demanding jobs.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it is unfortunate that “lathi charge” was done on students protesting for their demands in Prayagraj.

The students raising their voice against the “arbitrariness” of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) should be heard carefully, he said in a post in Hindi on X. “This is not the first time that BJP is trying to suppress the voice of youth in this way. Earlier also, attempts have been made to suppress their voice for demanding jobs or protesting against recruitment scams and paper leaks,” Ramesh claimed. Understanding these problems of the youth, the Congress party had talked about taking concrete initiatives under the Yuva Nyay Guarantee, he said.

Meanwhile in another twist to the lathi charge offensive on Monday night, Congress leader, Prabal Prabhat Sahi has warned of a dire conspiracy around the by-polls scheduled in UP on November 20. Of the nine by-elections to the state assembly, Phoolpur, Majhawan and Katehari are extremely close to Prayagraj (Allahabad) and he expressed fears that the ‘Rampur model’ where the police will be ‘mis’ used to prevent voters from casting their vote (as happened in 2022 in UP) may repeat. 

Is the lathi charge of thousands of students at Prayagraj a preparation for a repeat of the Rampur model where voters will be prevented from exercising their vote of November 20?