Extra Attempt At Civil Services: Activist Yogita Bhayana And 3 UPSC Aspirants Detained

Activist Yogita Bhayana along with five other UPSC aspirants and a lawyer has been detained after they reached the Home Minster's residence this morning and taken to the Mandir Marg police station. She was part of a delegation which wanted to meet the minister to discuss the possibility of extra attempts or age relaxation in the UPSC Civil Services Exam. The activist shared the news of detention on Twitter.

SheThePeople spoke to Bhayana who confirmed that they are at this moment in Mandir Marg Police station of Delhi. She also said, they were not protesting but had secured an appointment to meet the Home Minister at 10 am. They were told 5 to 6 representatives can meet the minister. She said an official named Narendra Kumar had given them the appointment on Sunday.

Bhayana further stated that the aspirants wanted to discuss that due to Covid impact a lot of aspirants of both 2020 and 2021 haven't been able to perform as per expectation. They are demanding more attempts and age relaxation in the prestigious Civil Services examination. The upper age limit is 32 and candidates in the general category and can take a maximum of six attempts. The Ministry of Home Affairs or Home Ministry is located in the North Block, New Delhi. It is headed by cabinet minister Amit Shah.

Activist Yogita Bhayana Detained: She also said, they were not protesting but had secured an appointment to meet the Home Minister at 10 am.

We also spoke Saraswati Sangvade, who is a UPSC aspirant and has been detained along with the activist. Sangvade said that a delegation of five people, three students one lawyer and one advocate had arrived in the morning as per their appointment to meet Minister Shah. She added the police force there stopped them from entering and when she started making a video her phone was snatched.

Sangvade has come to Delhi all the way from Karnataka. The year 2021 for the last attempt for UPSC Civil Services Examination for her. In 2020 she was working in Dubai as a civil engineer and could not come to India for taking the exam due to the COVID related travel restrictions. She cannot take the examination again in 2022 due to the age cut off.

Last year, the government after the suggestion of a bench agreed to extend an extra attempt for those who had exhausted their number of attempts in UPSC CSE 2020 but not their age limit. This was a one-time relaxation.

Twitter is currently flooded with UPSC aspirants  asking for an extra attempt.

As per the latest news available to SheThePeople, the who were remanded in the morning have been released. They have joined those carrying out a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Some people at Jantar Mantar are reportedly on a Hunger Strike as well.

The group of UPSC aspirants continue to sit at Delhi's Jantar Mantar braving the Delhi cold and a scare caused by Omicron. Bhayana, tells us they  "have been given assurance by home minister’s office that they will give them attempt after passing it in the cabinet." However a clear picture will only emerge in 2 to 3 weeks time.

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