Aspirants of exams conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), who were protesting in front of the KPSC office in Bengaluru, were lathi charged by police on July 25, Monday. Hundreds of candidates had gathered in front of the KPSC office on that day to protest for their results which have been long overdue. The Karnataka Administrative Services mains exam, in particular, was conducted in February 2021 and the results have still not been announced. Along with the immediate release of their results, the aspirants are also demanding regular updates on upcoming exams, a UPSC-like calendar for KPSC exams, complete transparency in results and implementation of the Purna Chandra Hota Committee recommendations.
Formed in 2004, the PC Hota Committee on Civil Services Reforms advised that applicants for senior civil service positions should be between the ages of 21 and 24, with a five-year age concession for those who belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and a three-year concession for those who belong to other backward classes. For civil servants, the domain assignment should be implemented to promote skill development, professional excellence, and career planning.
Despite having the optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet, aspirants say that the results that have been announced but the website only displays ranks and not the marks. Since the exam is conducted in a multiple choice question format, aspirants can verify their answers after the exam and get a rough estimate of their marks. However, many alleged foul play as their ranks did not align with their marks. Hence, they are now demanding transparency in results.
The protest on Monday was led by Congress spokesperson Bhavya Narasimhamurthy along with a few aspirants. According to Bhavya, similar protests before only saw around 50 to 100 people. However, the protest in front of KPSC office on Monday saw almost 500 aspirants from various parts of Karnataka. Despite the KPSC Secretary, Suralkar Vikas Kishor, assuring them that the results would be announced within a week, the aspirants were not convinced. They demanded his assurances to be produced in writing which was denied by the Secretary as per Bhavya. Nonetheless, the aspirants have decided on waiting for a week to see if KPSC lives up to its assurances. If not, the aspirants have said their agitation will continue on a large scale.
This was just one of many protests by the KPSC aspirants who have been demanding action on delay in conducting exams and announcing results.