As UP police exam is cancelled, demand grows for RO/ARO exam cancellation

The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday announced the cancellation of the recently held examination to recruit police constables in the state.

In a post on X, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said orders have been issued to re-conduct the exam within six months. "There can be no compromise with the sanctity of examinations. Those who toy with the hard work of youngsters will not be spared under any circumstances. Strictest action is certain to be taken against such unruly elements," he wrote in Hindi.

The examination was conducted on 17 and 18 February. Following allegations of paper leaks in the Uttar Pradesh review officer (RO) and assistant review officer (ARO) exams conducted by the UP Public Service Commission (UPPSC), a massive uproar erupted on social media on 17 February over the alleged leak of the Uttar Pradesh Police constable exam paper.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, aspiring UPPSC officer Abhinav Dwivedi had said, "In our ongoing movement against the leaking of question papers of the RO and ARO exam, our demand is that this exam should be cancelled and UPPSC chairman Sanjay Srinet should be removed.”

As news of the UP Police exam cancellation spread, the demand to mete out similar treatment to the RO and ARO exam — for which aspirants have been staging protests in various places in the state — gathered steam, with the hashtag '#RO_ARO_PAPER_LEAK' trending afresh on X.

According to news reports, candidates who took the UP Police exam on 17 February during the second shift claimed that the paper had been leaked. Through posts on X, numerous aspirants even posted screenshots and images alleging that the UP Police constable paper was shared among aspirants.

However, in a statement issued the next day, the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) dismissed the rumours and reassured the job aspirants that there was no irregularity and the examinations were being conducted smoothly, the Economic Times reported.

"The Board is always committed to maintaining the transparency and integrity of each of its examinations. After the successful completion of the examination at the larger level, the unverified news being trended will be thoroughly verified by the Board with the help of UP Police. Candidates should be confident," UPPRPB posted on X.

On 20 February, however, it was reported that the UPPRB had constituted an internal committee to enquire into all allegations of paper leak and viral question papers and answer sheets on social media.