UPSC aspirants protests: Delhi Police on Wednesday detained the UPSC aspirants from the Old Rajinder Nagar area who were demanding an extra attempt to clear the exam. The Union Public Service Commission, commonly abbreviated as UPSC, is India's premier central recruitment agency for the recruitment of all the Group 'A' officers under the Government of India.
The agitated students argued that they lost their valuable time due to the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the country in 2020. Also, they argued that the aspirants of SSC and Agniveer were given extra attempts due to the pandemic but the government has neglected those who have been preparing hard for the civil services.
"If SSC and Agniveer aspirants were given age relaxation then why not for UPSC"
While speaking to the news agency ANI, a protestor, who introduced herself as Garima, said that SSC (GD) and Agniveer aspirants were provided extra attempts to clear the exams, considering the pandemic but the government has ignored the dreams of UPSC aspirants.
"If the government can allow extra attempts to SSC (GD) and Agniveer aspirants, why can't it make a similar provision for us? We are protesting peacefully," she said.
Another protestor, Rashi, demanded two extra attempts and a relaxation of two years in the age limit. "We want a relaxation of two years and two extra attempts. Didn't Covid affect the UPSC aspirants?" She argued if the government can provide relaxation to the billions of loans to lift the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) sectors citing the pandemic "then the administration must give relaxation in age for the UPSC aspirants."
"If the government can try to lift MSME and waive off loans, why can't it provide some relaxation to us? It's not just corpses, but also our dreams, that were burnt to ashes during the pandemic," said Rashi.
Opposition slams Modi govt for using sticks in protests
It is worth mentioning the COVID pandemic hit India early in 2020. The government had imposed a strict lockdown and either postponed or cancelled all exams in order to arrest the spread of the lethal virus. Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh, while sharing a video of a protest on a microblogging site, criticised the government for taking harsh steps against the UPSC aspirants. Some students have even alleged Delhi Police of thrashing them with sticks and claimed more than a dozen were injured. "UPSC students are sitting on dharna in support of their demands and Modi ji's police is trying to pick them up with sticks. BJP means crime and atrocities," he wrote on Twitter.
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