UPPSC stir: Coaching institute claims centre sealed over support to students; officials deny charge

Prayagraj: The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) sealed Sanskriti IAS coaching centre on Thursday amid ongoing student protests outside the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) office.

The coaching centre claimed the action was taken because they provided food and water to the protesting students, a claim denied by the PDA, which cited violation of map approvals as the reason for the sealing.

PDA Vice President Amit Pal Sharma said, "The coaching centre had already been issued notices long ago. They had committed in writing to remove unauthorised structures voluntarily, but they did not comply. Their construction was against the approved map, and the basement was being used in violation of regulations."

However, KP Dwivedi, the centre head of Sanskriti IAS, said, "Some food packets and water were provided to students sitting on protest at the Public Service Commission. This action was taken as a result of that."

Hundreds of government job aspirants have been protesting in Prayagraj since four days against the UPPSC's decision to conduct the Review Officer and Assistant Review Officer (RO-ARO) and Provincial Civil Service (PCS) preliminary examinations on different dates.

The protestors demanded that the decision be rolled back and the exams held on a single day as it was being done in the past.

Later on Thursday, the UPPSC postponed the RO-ARO exam and announced that it would hold the PCS exam in the old pattern in a single day. The commission also announced that it would form a committee on RO-ARO exam to ensure its transparency and fairness.