Recruitment test ques leak allegations trigger protests

A recruitment test for 242 posts of assistant upazila youth development officer was suspended over allegations of a question paper leak, prompting jobseekers to stage protests at several examination centres in Dhaka on Saturday.

The Department of Youth Development suspended the test after images of the alleged question paper reportedly circulated on social media a few hours before the examination.

The test was scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM on October 10. More than 300,000 candidates from across the country were expected to compete for the 242 posts under the 11th-grade pay scale. Preparations had been made to hold the examination at around 100 centres in the capital.

Candidates who had travelled to Dhaka from different districts staged demonstrations outside several examination centres on Saturday (October 10) morning. Some blocked roads and brought out protest processions.

Protests were reported outside Motijheel Girls' High School, Colony High School, Balak High School, Bangladesh College, Khilgaon Model College and the Shapla Chattar centre.

The protesters demanded an impartial investigation into the alleged question paper leak, identification and punishment of those involved, and a prompt decision on the recruitment process.

They said, the suspension had caused significant hardship and financial losses. Many candidates had borrowed money to travel to Dhaka and were left frustrated after learning that the examination had been suspended at the last moment. They demanded that the authorities take responsibility for the situation.

Ruma Rana, a political science student of Jagannath University who had come to sit the examination, said many candidates did not live in Dhaka and had travelled overnight from district towns, often borrowing money to cover their expenses.

She questioned who would compensate the candidates for their physical hardship, financial losses and shattered hopes. She also criticised the authorities for failing to stop question paper leaks, saying the issue threatened the future of young jobseekers.

The protesters called for a swift and impartial investigation to identify and punish those responsible. They warned of tougher demonstrations if the authorities failed to ensure justice promptly.

-EM/MT