Chaotic scenes played out on the streets of Prayagraj this morning as students protesting outside the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission office clashed with police and broke through barricades. The students are demanding that exams for recruitment to Provincial Civil Service (PCS) and Review and Assistant Review Officer posts be held in a single shift.

The public service body had earlier announced that the PCS (prelims) will be held on December 7 and 8 in two shifts — 9.30 am to 11.30 am and 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm. The RO/ARO exam was scheduled for December 22 and 23, also in two shifts.

The students are demanding “one day, one shift” exams as they fear multiple exam dates and shifts will raise the risk of paper leaks.

The commission has said that the decision to hold exams in shifts as been taken for the benefit of the applicants and to uphold the exam’s sanctity. A spokesperson for the commission said they would hold exams exclusively at centres where possibility of irregularities is eliminated. The spokesperson said that only government or funded educational institutions within 10-km radius of a bus stand, railway station or treasury, and with no history of suspicion or blacklisting are being designated as examination centres. It is for this reason that the commission had to opt for exams in shifts, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson has said a normalisation process will be used to evaluate the results because the exams are being held across multiple days or shifts. This, the panel said, is commonly used across the country and is supported by several court rulings.

The students are not convinced. Vimal Tripathi, one of the protesters told news agency PTI, said, “The commission says it can conduct these exams only at government schools in 41 districts because it has limited number of centres. It is unfortunate that the commission has only one responsibility and it has failed in that as well. Why can’t the exams be held in a single day across all the districts?” he asked.

As the protests swell, authorities in the public service commission are now meeting to find a way out. According to sources, the meeting may end in a relief to the students.

Earlier, an FIR was registered against 12 people after vandalism at the commission’s office.

Senior police officer Abhishek Bharti said some “anti-social elements” had infiltrated the protesters and were provoking them. “We have detained them and are taking action. We have not taken any woman student in custody. This is a fake news being circulated,” he said.

The protests have sparked a political row, with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav targeting the state government. Slamming the Yogi Adityanath government, Mr Yadav said was the agitation was “yogi vs. competitor students” and questioned if the government would now use bulldozers to target student accommodations. “The rise of the students will be the fall of the BJP,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has called for an amicable solution. The BJP government, it has said, has set an example of fair recruitment by taking action against “recruitment mafia”. “All competent officials should listen to the demands of the students sensitively and find a quick solution. Ensure that the precious time of the students is not spent in agitation but in their preparation,” he said.