Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of job aspirants, protesting against alleged irregularities in the recruitment exams for Revenue Inspectors (RI), Assistant Revenue Inspectors (ARI), and Amins, conducted by the Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC), staged a massive demonstration in the city on Wednesday.
The protesters gheraoed the assembly and clashed with the security personnel at Lower PMG Road. "We will continue to stage protests until the govt cancels the recruitment exam conducted by OSSSC. Why were blacklisted firms engaged in conducting the exam? We want the exam to be conducted fairly so that eligible candidates get selected," said a protesting candidate.
The OSSSC conducted the prelims between Sept 20 and Oct 20 for 2,895 vacant posts, including that of RI, ARI and Amin. The exams were conducted in privately-run cyber cafes and computer centres, resulting in questions being raised about the transparency of the exam.
"It seems the govt is playing with the careers of hundreds of meritorious students. We prepare for years to get a govt job, but due to irregularities in conducting the exam, many deserving candidates don't get a job.," said another aspirant.
The state govt has, meanwhile, announced plans to enact a new law with stringent penal provisions to check cheating and other irregularities in public exams conducted by various recruitment agencies.