The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) on Saturday scrapped its recently amended controversial reservation policy and cancelled examinations that were held on its basis in the wake of protests by anti-reservation students. The decision was held after a meeting on Friday, even as Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav reportedly discussed the issue with senior UPPSC officials and student leaders.
The State on Friday summoned UPPSC chairman Anil Yadav and member Gurdarshan Singh, who authored the new policy.
The UPPSC cancelled the results of the 2011 Provincial Civil Services examinations (mains) and the revised results would be released at the earliest, it said.
On July 22, the Allahabad High Court, while reserving its judgment on a petition challenging the new reservation policy, stayed the interviews of the PSC 2011 examinations scheduled from July 26.
The court had also questioned the Commission’s “haste” in bringing into effect the controversial amendment.
The policy’s withdrawal led to pro-reservation students accusing the SP of betrayal. Some students here went on the rampage and attacked the Allahapur residence of SP district president Pandhari Yadav and vandalised his vehicle and property. Police drove out the students, who then went to the SP office where they chanted slogans, particularly against Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Students to be released
The State has also decided to release the 22 students, who clashed with the police during the anti-reservation protest on July 22. Police on Friday had decided to grant them bail and withdraw serious charges under sections relating to attempt to murder and rioting with arms.
The UPPSC recently decided to open up the unreserved category vacancies for reserved category candidates. The anti-reservation students alleged that the amendment was made to facilitate the entry of members of the OBC Yadav community into reserved posts and engaged in violent protests. They also flayed the UPPSC for introducing caste-based quotas from the preliminary examination stage itself.
Amid criticism of the State, SP general secretary Ram Asray Khushwaha defended the move to scrap the reservation policy. He said the step was not taken under any pressure but was only the correction of a “wrong decision.”
Terming the entire episode a “rope in the neck” of the SP, Congress spokesperson Dwijendra Tripathi said if the reservation policy was not amended while taking into confidence the government, it showed that under the SP, officials were running “out of control.” “This needs to be checked with an enquiry against those officials,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party also demanded action against the UPPSC chairman.
