As exam candidates continue to protest over alleged irregularities and mismanagement in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruitment process, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Sudhakar Singh, on Monday, August 4, has written to the SSC Chairman demanding immediate action.
Over the past week, lakhs of aspirants have taken to the streets in Delhi and other parts of India, demanding fairness, transparency, and accountability in the recruitment process.
In the letter addressed to the SSC Chairman, originally written in Hindi, Singh wrote, “...for the last 5 days, lakhs of competitive students from every corner of the country, especially the candidates of SSC examinations, have been protesting on the roads in many places including Delhi. This protest is not only related to the process of conducting the examination, but it reflects deep concern about the future of the youth.”
Long queues, lack of water, and far-off centres
The letter goes on to detail the scale of mismanagement and lack of preparedness at several exam centres.
“There was a lot of chaos at the examination centres, where many candidates were not allowed to enter on time, biometric verification was delayed inordinately and students were made to stand in the hot sun for hours. Basic facilities like pure drinking water were also lacking at the centres,” the letter said.
Another major concern raised is the allocation of exam centres in far-off locations, even for vulnerable candidates.
“The most worrying aspect was that students were allotted examination centres hundreds of kilometres away from their home districts. Even many female students and differently-abled candidates were given examination centres in another state, causing them immense physical, mental and financial difficulties,” the MP highlighted.
Technical glitches add to concerns
Apart from logistical issues, multiple candidates reportedly faced system errors and question paper discrepancies.
“Many technical glitches have also been observed. Computers kept hanging, and servers kept crashing, causing huge problems with login and logout. This not only wasted the time of the candidates but also increased their mental stress to a great extent,” he wrote.
Calling the protestors’ demands valid, the letter urges the SSC to bring in systemic reforms immediately.
The letter concludes with a strong call for structural reforms, including grievance redressal and better selection of partner agencies.