Hyderabad: A curfew will be enforced within a 200-metre radius of the TSPSC Group 1 exam centres under the Cyberabad police commissionerate from October 21 to 27, between 6 am and 6 pm.
This measure follows the decision by the commissioner of Cyberabad police, Avinash Mohanty, who exercised his powers under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prohibit the assembly of five or more persons near the Group 1 Mains examination centres, in light of recent protests by eligible candidates.
During the curfew, all Xerox shops and internet cafes within the 200-metre radius will remain closed, with exemptions granted only to on-duty police and military personnel, home guards, flying squads, education department officials, and funeral processions.
Police lathi-charge protesting aspirants
Group 1 aspirants, who were protesting against the exam dates were lathi-charged and detained by police in Ashok Nagar, Hyderabad on Friday, October 18, in the Ashok Nagar area of Hyderabad, an exams coaching hub of the city. Videos surfaced show students being beaten, and taken away to preventive custody by the Telangana police.
On Wednesday, October 16, several students and examination candidates protested in Ashok Nagar, Hyderabad, demanding the postponement of the Group 1 Mains exams. The candidates alleged that there were discrepancies in the question paper, claiming that as many as 20 errors were present in the 150 questions of the preliminary examination, according to the answer key.
The protests in Ashok Nagar resulted in the detention of several students, who were taken to Chikkadpally police station on Wednesday.
Protesting candidates argue that sitting for the Group 1 Mains exams is pointless until the errors in the preliminary exams are rectified and Government Order 29 is amended.
Meanwhile, the Telangana High Court has dismissed multiple pleas from students requesting the postponement of the exams, and the state government is proceeding with the examination as scheduled.
The students have now approached the Supreme Court with their concerns.
