UPPSC Protest Turns Political Flashpoint as Student Grievances, Police Action and Opposition Narratives Collide
By BK Singh
PRAYAGRAJ: A protest by competitive examination aspirants outside the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) headquarters on Monday escalated into a major political controversy after a video surfaced showing a police officer allegedly pulling a student by the hair and forcing him into a vehicle.
The footage quickly went viral on social media, triggering sharp reactions from opposition leaders and reigniting the debate over recruitment transparency, unemployment, and the politicisation of student movements.
What the Protest Was About
The demonstration was organised by the Joint Competitive Students Hunkar Manch, which raised multiple issues related to recruitment examinations conducted by the UPPSC.
Students gathered outside the commission’s gate to demand reforms in the examination system, alleging irregularities, lack of transparency, and delayed disclosures in previous recruitment processes.
Large numbers of aspirants from nearby districts also joined the protest, underlining the widespread frustration among candidates preparing for government jobs.
The protesters maintained that their agitation was focused on clean, fair, and transparent recruitment, not on political mobilisation.
According to organisers, the primary demand was accountability in examination procedures and corrective steps to restore trust in the selection process.
Police Action and Viral Video
Tensions rose when police attempted to control the gathering. During this period, a video showing a police officer dragging a student by the hair went viral, provoking outrage and condemnation.
The incident became the focal point of the controversy, overshadowing the original demands of the protesters.
Akhilesh Yadav’s Intervention
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav shared the video on Facebook, accusing the BJP-led state government of arrogance and insensitivity toward unemployed youth.
He wrote that young people suffering from unemployment were being treated inhumanely, humiliated and assaulted instead of being heard.
Yadav asserted that students do not wish to fight the state but are merely seeking purification of the recruitment process through fair and transparent means.
Declaring moral support for the aspirants, he demanded a Special Investigation Review (SIR) into what he described as a flawed examination system and allegedly corrupt selection processes.
He warned that the youth would not forgive the government for such behaviour and alleged that employment does not feature on the BJP’s political agenda.
Was the Movement Diluted by Politics?
Amid the political uproar, divisions emerged within the student community itself. Prashant Pandey, media in-charge of the Competitive Students Struggle Committee, stated that the movement lost momentum after certain political workers raised objectionable slogans.
This, he said, angered many students and led to confusion and internal disagreement.
According to him, several aspirants left the protest site, insisting that the agitation was meant to address student issues—not to serve as a political rally.
He alleged that deliberate attempts were made to create disorder and hijack the movement, forcing organisers to withdraw the protest and ask students to return to their hostels and rooms.
Student Leaders Allege Detention and Threats
The agitation’s leaders, Pankaj Pandey and Ashutosh Pandey, alleged that they were placed under preventive detention.
Ashutosh Pandey claimed he was confined by police while undergoing treatment at a medical college hospital, while Pankaj Pandey alleged he was stopped from leaving his home.
Pankaj Pandey said an online meeting would be held on Tuesday to chalk out the future course of the movement, while Ashutosh accused the police administration of intimidation and threats.
AAP Joins the Attack
Adding to the political pressure, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh also shared the viral video and accused the government of using force against unemployed youth.
He wrote that aspirants fighting for jobs were being dragged on the streets of Prayagraj, calling it the BJP’s “anti-youth development model,” where demanding employment results in police batons and questioning authority leads to jail.
“Naukri Maango To Laathi Milti Hai”: Rhetoric vs Reality
The slogan heard during the protest—“naukri maango to laathi milti hai” (ask for jobs, and you get beaten)—struck an emotional chord but also raised a crucial question.
In India’s constitutional and administrative framework, government jobs are not granted on demand; they are secured through competitive examinations, merit-based evaluation, and prescribed procedures.
At the same time, critics argue that when aspirants protest, they are not demanding jobs outright, but demanding fairness, transparency, and timely justice in recruitment systems that decide their future.
Supporters of the protest say that police excesses, if proven, only deepen mistrust and frustration among youth already burdened by years of preparation and uncertainty.
Genuine Student Anger or Political Spotlight?
The unfolding events suggest a complex reality. The agitation appears to have originated from genuine student grievances, rooted in anxiety over examinations, results, and transparency.
However, the rapid political appropriation of the issue, competing narratives, and internal dissent among protesters indicate that the movement was vulnerable to being politicised, whether intentionally or otherwise.
As the dust settles, the core issue remains unresolved: restoring confidence in recruitment institutions while ensuring that student protests are neither suppressed through force nor diverted into political spectacle.
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