Bhubaneswar: The written exam for the recruitment of sub-inspectors in Odisha Police was postponed for the third time Tuesday, prompting Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik to describe it as a “systemic failure.”
The written test of the Combined Police Service Examination-2024 was scheduled to be held October 5 and 6, said the statement issued by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB).
“In view of some unforeseen development, the Board decided to postpone the Written Examination CPSE-2024, which was earlier scheduled to be held on 05.10.2025 & 06.10.2025. Fresh date will be announced later,” it added.
While the OPRB was tight-lipped over the reason behind the postponements, sources said the decision was taken after irregularities were detected.
Meanwhile, Patnaik expressed “shock” over the frequent cancellation of the recruitment examination.
Taking to social media, Patnaik said, “This marks the fourth recruitment examination scrapped since July amid allegations of malpractice and question paper leaks.”
He pointed out that while the Special OTET-2025 was cancelled hours before commencement after a paper leak triggered widespread outrage on July 20, the OSSSC cancelled its Combined Recruitment Examination (for RI, ARI, Amin, ICDS Supervisor, SFS) on July 30–31. The was scheduled between August 1 and September 4, citing irregularities in the preliminary process, the BJD president said.
Similarly, on August 22, the rescheduled Special OTET-2025 was also postponed again, with Board of Secondary Education citing “unavoidable circumstances,” leaving aspirants frustrated, he said.
“These repeated disruptions highlight a troubling pattern in Odisha’s recruitment system, undermining trust and affecting lakhs of job seekers across the state,” Patnaik said.
He said, “All these point towards systemic failure of governance which the BJP-led #Odisha Govt needs to fix immediately to restore the trust of people.”
PTI
