1 2 Prayagraj: The aspirants, protesting in front of the UP Public Service Commission (UPPSC) gate since Monday, continued their stir on Thursday despite the Commission's announcement to conduct the PCS pre-exam in a single day. The protesters alleged that this was a conspiracy of the government to divide the aspirants of PCS and RO/ARO. They said that they would end the protest only when after the Commission decides that the RO/ARO exam will also be conducted in a single day, like the PCS pre-exam.
In an early morning action on Thursday, Prayagraj police detained five persons on charges of bid to instigate protesters. The police claimed that the arrested persons had nothing to do with the ongoing protest. DCP city Abhishek Bharti said that action was taken against only the suspicious elements who were trying to instigate the peaceful protest.
The official have once again appealed to the aspirants to stage their protest at the ground near the All Saints Cathedral (Civil Lines), a designated venue for such protests. While the number of protesters has declined from that of Wednesday, there are still a large number of aspirants protesting at the site. The police have also increased their deployment on the stretch from Lok Seva Ayog crossing to UPPSC gate number 2.
The police tried to move the protesters to Lok Seva Ayog crossing to vacate the road in front of the Commission's gate, however, the protesters broke the barricading and returned to the UPPSC gate to continue their sti.