UP holds 'largest police exam', 3.2 mn candidates compete for 60,000 posts

Around 3.2 million candidates took the test for more than 60,000 vacant posts in Uttar Pradesh Police over five days concluding on Saturday amid tight security, with the state government describing it as the "largest police recruitment exam" in its history.

The exam, conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB), was held at 1,174 centres in 67 districts of the state on the fifth and last day of the exercise, which began last week. The exams were held in two shifts for five days -- August 23, 24, 25, 30 and 31.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the candidates, the UPPRPB, district administrations and the state police for ensuring "smooth and fair" conduct of the exam.

The fresh recruitment exercise to fill over 60,000 posts was necessitated after the exams scheduled for February 17 and 18 were cancelled following allegations of a paper leak.

The Uttar Pradesh State Transport Corporation is providing free bus services to candidates, including complimentary travel on electric buses in several districts.

Previously mired with allegations of paper leaks, the exam centres of UPPRPB and its nearby areas witnessed high-levels of security this time and Aadhaar verification was done for all candidates, according to an official statement issued Saturday evening.

Also, 16,440 exam rooms across 1,174 centres in the state were equipped with CCTV and monitored by artificial intelligence, while over 2,300 magistrates and more than one lakh police personnel were deployed for duty, it added.

"Hearty congratulations to all the candidates for the fair, transparent and peaceful completion of the written examination-2023 conducted for the selection of more than 60,200 posts of constable civil police," Adityanath posted on X in Hindi.

"May all the energetic and disciplined youth taking part in the exam get the desired results and may everyone have a bright future; infinite good wishes for this!" he said.

"Heartfelt thanks to all the people who helped in conducting the world's largest civil police recruitment examination successfully and safely, to the Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board and the district administration of all the districts," he added.

The chief minister said more than 15,000 women will be recruited in the selection process of over 60,000 police constables.

"The examination was conducted in a fair and smooth manner; this will further enrich the model of security and good governance in Uttar Pradesh," he added.

According to the official statement, over 32 lakh candidates participated in this exam, which was conducted over five days in two phases.

"The Uttar Pradesh government upheld transparency and integrity through unprecedented measures, including holding the exam exclusively in government schools to further ensure fairness," the statement said.

Every necessary measure was taken to prevent any inconvenience to the candidates. To achieve this, 2,300 magistrates and 1,97,859 police personnel were deployed, while CCTVs equipped with artificial intelligence were installed to monitor the proceedings, it said.

The security arrangements, both inside and outside the exam centres, kept cheaters and solver gangs at bay, it added.

Additionally, Uttar Pradesh Police maintained vigilant monitoring across various platforms, including WhatsApp and social media, with intelligence agencies on 24-hour alert to pre-empt any potential issues.

In addition to stringent surveillance, the board conducted Aadhaar verification for the candidates before the exam. While 85 per cent of the candidates' Aadhaar details were confirmed, the remaining 15 per cent were required to undergo eKYC verification at the exam centres, deterring those with fraudulent intentions, it stated.

"Data analysis was also a key part of the exam's integrity measures. Candidate data was matched within half an hour of the paper's start in each shift. Any discrepancies led to immediate action, with lists of suspects provided to nodal officers for follow-up," the release stated.

"This thorough approach not only minimized cheating, but also resulted in the arrest of individuals attempting to game the system, reinforcing the examination's integrity," it added.

The extensive security apparatus put in place to ensure the safety and integrity of the police recruitment examination involved the deployment of 1,97,859 policemen, including 25 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and 8 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), the statement said.

Additionally, 137 additional superintendents of police, 522 deputy superintendents of police, 47,587 head constables, 86,844 constables, and 26,582 women constables, were also deployed, it said.

Apart from this, 3,876 inspectors, comprising 3,740 male and 136 female inspectors, and 32,311 sub-Inspectors, including 30,220 male and 2,091 female sub-inspectors, were assigned to oversee the examination, it added.

To further bolster the examination's security, 74 observer police officers were stationed at the examination centres, it added.

At the examination centres, rigorous procedures for candidate verification were implemented, including physical frisking, security checks with Hand-Held Metal Detectors (HHMD), and biometric verification through fingerprint and facial recognition, the statement said.