UPSSSC Candidates Sit on Hunger Strike in Lucknow Over Delayed Results

Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Selection Services Commission (UPSSSC) aspirants from the various parts of state have been sitting on a hunger strike for the past two days in front of the UPSSSC building, Gomti Nagar, demanding declaration of results of Village Development Officer (VDO) exams that were conducted in December 2018. More than nine lakh candidates have been affected in the state due to the delayed results.

On Thursday morning, five candidates were sent to the hospital in an ambulance after their health condition deteriorated. A protester said, "Around 400 of us have come to Lucknow to raise our voice against the government and administration. We had given exams of VDO in last December. It has been seven months, but our results haven't been revealed yet. For the past few months, we have been continuously agitating and we came here to take the movement forward."

NO ASSURANCE NOW, WILL RETURN AFTER RESULT

The protesting candidates said that they have returned several times with assurance, but this time they will not return until results are declared.

Sumit Kumar Singh, a candidate, told NewsClick, "We had appeared for the exam for the post of VDO, which was held on December 22 and 23, 2018. There were 1,953 posts and it has been seven months that we have been waiting for the results, but nobody is listening to us. From the beginning, the commission has been delaying the result. Last month also, we held a protest, but after assurance, we called off our protest. This time, we will not end our hunger strike until our results are declared.”

"In many cases, candidates have committed suicide and the administration is forcing us to do the same. Since two days, we are protesting silently, but instead of listening to us, the administration is threatening us to call off the protest; otherwise, they will take legal action against us. We are now planning to call off the protest as we do not want to destroy our career, but one thing is sure that the ruling BJP government is only making false promises to the students in the name of government jobs."

Meanwhile, Arun Kumar Sinha, chairman of selection committee of UPSSC, said that the result will be declared in the third week of August. "In order to maintain transparency in the result, the OMR sheets of the selected candidates is being matched with the OMR sheet deposited in the treasury. This is the reason the result is being delayed," he was quoted as saying by local media.

Sangeeta, a candidate, accused the chairman for lying about the result. She told NewsClick, "The adamant manner in which the government is behaving clearly shows that it is hiding something and that there is a strong nexus with those within the system. Despite the presence of a large number of students, the government is not doing anything. We have been given assurance by the chairman thrice and most importantly, on the official website, it was said that the results will be announced on February 28. Then [it was changed to] second week of April and then July 31, but July is also over and the result has still not been declared. Again, they are giving assurance, but on what basis should we trust them? Four of our friends were shifted to a hospital after they fell sick and no one even came to see them. If the administration wants us to die, we will die, but not leave this spot until our demands are met."