Supported by CJP, Lucknow students protest lack of transparency, irregularities in recruitment drives

Students and government job aspirants gathered at the Eco Garden in Lucknow on Friday to protest alleged widespread irregularities in recruitment examinations, demanding that the government address their grievances.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke also joined the protest, demanding accountability. “I am not scared of asking real questions to the government. Youths of our country are not afraid of asking real questions to the government. We will continue the movement, we will succeed,” Mr. Dipke said.

Call for high-level inquiry

“There have been irregularities, mismanagement at examination centres, and a lack of transparency in the recruitment processes at various levels of competitive examinations including for Lekhpal [village revenue officer] and U.P. Sub-Inspector,” said Omkar Singh, one of the aspirants at the protest venue. “We demand a thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations. An independent high-level inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the Lekhpal main examination is essential, as videos of misconduct have gone viral,” he added.

“Our demands include the re-conduct of the Lekhpal main examination and the prompt release of the detailed scorecard for the U.P. Sub-Inspector examination. The government has failed to conduct numerous recruitment and eligibility tests, and we insist that the recruitment examination calendar be adhered to completely,” Mr. Singh said.

Grievance redressal needed

Students also accused local authorities in Prayagraj, a major coaching hub in Uttar Pradesh, of closing three coaching centres under the pretext of non-compliance with building safety regulations. In reality, students said, the authorities suspect these centres of supporting the youth movement.

The Lucknow protesters also demanded that the government set up a permanent dialogue and grievance redressal mechanism to address the issues faced by aspirants preparing for competitive examinations. On May 29, hundreds of these aspirants had assembled in the streets of Prayagraj for a similar protest.

Authoritarian attitude

The Opposition Congress party criticised the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh government for failing to initiate dialogue with protesting students. “In a healthy democracy, the government initiates dialogue with concerned stakeholders to understand their grievances and concerns,” said Congress national secretary Shahnawaz Alam.

“In the past also, issues were raised by the student community, which was discussed in a democratic manner. But the present government is acting in an authoritarian way. This week, we saw the level of the employment crisis in U.P. as over 20 lakh aspirants gave the constable examination for around 32,000 seats. We demand that the government addresses our grievances at the earliest,” he added.