Bhubaneswar: A large group of aspirants, under the banner of Students Against Corruption, staged a protest at Mahatma Gandhi Marg Thursday, demanding clarity and a transparent process for the Police SI examination.
The protesters said the future of hundreds of Odisha Police Sub-Inspector aspirants remains uncertain, as the state government has yet to announce a clear roadmap for the long-pending recruitment exam. More than a year after the notification, candidates are still awaiting an official exam schedule, they added.
The protest underscored growing frustration among candidates after the exposure of a job-selling racket and a subsequent CBI probe that led to the cancellation of the earlier examination process. According to the protesters, government indecision over the examining authority has worsened the situation.
With the Odisha Police Recruitment Board inactive and the new Odisha Uniformed Staff Selection Commission yet to be fully operational, candidates say they remain caught in administrative limbo. Protest leaders said the prolonged delay has severely affected aspirants who spent years preparing for the exam, accused the government of apathy, and warned that continued inaction could spark statewide protests.
The organisation urged the government to promptly name the examination authority and conduct the Police SI exam in a fair, time-bound manner, warning that aspirants may gherao the State Assembly during the upcoming session if delays continue.
Notably, the controversy centers on an alleged question paper leak in the Police SI exam, which is under CBI investigation. Termed one of the state’s biggest recruitment scams, the probe has been shifted from the Crime Branch to the CBI.
Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounding the recruitment examination has sparked growing unrest among aspirants across the state as continued delay in announcing a fresh examination date has fueled dissatisfaction among thousands of meritorious candidates.
Aspirants alleged that the government appears to have “forgotten” about the SI recruitment process altogether and demanded the immediate declaration of an examination date.