Railway suspends NTPC, Level 1 exams amid protests by aspirants

The Railway Ministry has decided to suspend its recruitment drives under the Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) and Level 1 tests as the law-and-order situation worsened in Bihar due to protesting job seekers.

Candidates are objecting to Railways' decision to hold the exams in two stages, claiming the second stage for final selection is like 'cheating' those who appeared and cleared the first stage of the RRB-NTPC for computer-based test (CBT).

“Railway Ministry stays examinations of Non-Technical Popular Categories & Level 1 of Railway Recruitment Board in wake of students' protest. A committee has been formed to listen to the candidates who cleared or failed. It will give a report to the Ministry," ANI quoted the Ministry of Railways as saying.

The Railways has also formed a committee that will examine the grievances of those who have passed the exams under different railway recruitment boards (RRBs) and those who have failed.

The panel, headed by Deepak Peter Gabriel, Principal Executive Director of Human Resources in the Railway ministry, was formed early Wednesday.

The decision was taken in light of the worsening law and order situation in Bihar where train services have been disrupted by job seekers over the past few days.

Earlier on Tuesday, the railways had warned its job aspirants that those found involved in vandalism and unlawful activities while protesting will be barred from ever getting hired in the railways. The development came a day after protesters in Bihar squatted on railway tracks.

Thousands of students protested across the country against the Railway RRB-NTPC exam 2021 result, which was announced on January 15.

The results of the RRB NTPC for the CBT-1 exam was released for shortlisting the candidates for the CBT-2.