HPSC: Haryana civil services mains exam postponed after protest

The Haryana public service commission (HPSC) on Monday announced that it has postponed the Haryana civil services (mains) examination indefinitely. The development came hours after the candidates staged a protest outside the HPSC office in Sector 4, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the examination.

Shweta Dhull, a candidate heading the protest, alleged that there were 15 out-of-syllabus questions in the paper and eight questions had two correct options to chose from.

The state civil services examination was conducted in Haryana after a gap of five years on March 31. Dhul further said, “Earlier, the commission was in a hurry to conduct the mains examination but just a few hours after our protest, they postponed it indefinitely.”

Another candidate, requesting anonymity, said, “During the prelims examination, there was no biometric scanning, CCTV cameras, QR code on admit cards in the exam hall, no use of permanent ink for thumb impression. There were not even any clocks in the examination rooms. This acts as a breeding ground for corruption.”

Earlier the HPSC had announced on its website (http://hpsc.eov.in.) that the mains examination will be held in the first week of July. However, on Monday, it released a notification stating, “The commission has reconsidered the matter and decided to postpone the mains examination due to administrative reasons.”

HPSC chairman Manbir Singh Bhadana said, “The mains exam has been postponed on administrative grounds. The commission needs more time to make preparations for this massive exercise.”

Candidates of various examinations conducted by HPSC including naib tehsildar exam, assistant professor exam of various subjects also participated in the protest.

First Published: Jun 25, 2019 07:57 IST