Following Heated Protests over UPSC Aptitude Test, Government Assures no Injustice to Non-English Speaking Aspirants

In the face of strong protests, the central government on Friday assured it will not allow any injustice to students on the basis of language in the UPSC examinations, after aspirants alleged that the aptitude test was biased towards English-speaking applicants.

The government has sought a report within a week from a three-member panel looking into the issue.

Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) civil services examination aspirants, who are protesting against the C-SAT (Aptitude Test), were detained on Friday by the police near Rail Bhawan in the capital.

As a ruckus erupted in the Parliament over the issue, wherein several protesting aspirants were detained, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said that the "government is not in favour of any injustice to students on the basis of language," the Press Trust of India reported.

The protest broke out on Thursday night as admit cards were being issued by the UPSC for the preliminary examination scheduled next month. Applicants were angry that the admit cards were being issued, despite many civil service aspirants protesting and resorting to hunger strikes for several weeks demanding that the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) be scrapped.

The applicants have alleged that the CSAT exam pattern would put both Hindi-speaking and regional language-speaking aspirants at a disadvantage, compared to those who speak English.

The protest had turned ugly with students pelting stones and clashing with the police. According to reports, around 700 people were protesting, and some set fire to a Police Control Room (PCR) van and also damaged a bus. 15 policemen were also injured in the clash, when protesters started pelting stones.

The government later tried to allay the tension, assuring that it would look into the matter and that the issuance of admit cards would not impede their actions.

"The issue of Admit cards is not in any way going to influence the decision to be taken by the government. The cards have not been issued by us, but by the UPSC which follows a calender. The issue of Admit Cards, I can assure you, is not going to influence the further course of action," Singh told members in the Upper House.