Odisha Police SI Aspirants Demand Urgent Exam Schedule Amid Protests
Protest by SI Aspirants in Bhubaneswar
In Bhubaneswar, a large group of candidates aspiring to join the Odisha Police as Sub-Inspectors gathered outside the Odisha Uniformed Services Selection Staff Commission (OUSSSC) on Wednesday. They voiced their frustrations over the prolonged delay in the recruitment examination, which has been on hold for nearly a year and a half. The chairman of the commission later reassured the protesters that the exam would take place by October.
The demonstrators, organized under the banner of Students Against Corruption, staged a symbolic opening of the commission's office. They performed a mock inauguration by naming the office and cutting a black ribbon, criticizing the commission for not accelerating the recruitment process despite its establishment three months prior.
The candidates expressed their concerns regarding the cancellation of the previous recruitment process by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) due to alleged irregularities. Following this, the government dissolved the board and assigned the examination responsibilities to the newly formed OUSSSC. However, the aspirants claimed that the commission has yet to release an examination schedule.
Moreover, they pointed out that three months after its inception, the commission has not launched an official website or provided any timeline for the examination, leaving approximately 150,000 candidates, many of whom have been preparing for over two years, in a state of uncertainty.
Bibhuti Bhushan Mohapatra, the convenor of Students Against Corruption, stated that the symbolic inauguration aimed to highlight the ongoing delays. He remarked, "The government may not have set an exam date because the office was never inaugurated. We have taken that step today. The government needs to respond promptly and announce the examination schedule," adding that protests would persist if no decisive actions were taken.
During the demonstration, the aspirants managed to speak with the OPCC president, who later joined them in discussions with the OUSSSC chairman. Following the chairman's assurance regarding the exam timeline, the protesters decided to end their sit-in.