A controversy has erupted in Chhattisgarh after unusual names like 'News' and 'Space Rani' appeared on the police recruitment exam qualifying list, prompting the Opposition Congress to allege irregularities, while the CGPSC and candidates defend the authenticity of the unique monikers.
Key Points
- The Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) police recruitment exam results listed candidates with unusual names like 'News', 'Space Rani', 'He Ram', and 'Tufail', leading to allegations of irregularities by the Opposition Congress.
- The CGPSC has strongly refuted the claims, stating that the names on the result list are exactly what candidates provided in their online application forms and were used for all stages of the examination.
- Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel criticised the government, suggesting the unusual names indicate negligence in the examination process.
- Several qualifying candidates, including News Kumar Pradhan, Tufail, He Ram, and Bhakt Prahlad, have come forward to confirm their unique names are legally documented and have been used throughout their academic and personal records.
- The controversy has raised concerns about the transparency of the CGPSC and the morale of candidates from ordinary families.
Chhattisgarh's latest police recruitment exam results have drawn widespread attention after a bizarre mix of candidate names, such as 'News', 'Space Rani', 'He Ram' and 'Tufail', surfaced on the qualifying list, prompting the Opposition Congress to allege irregularities, even as candidates came forward to defend their unique monikers.
While the Congress seized upon the peculiar roster of names to allege irregularities in the preliminary recruitment exam for the posts of subedar, sub-inspector and platoon commander, the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) rejected the claim, saying the records accurately reflect the data provided by candidates during registration.
CGPSC Clarifies Recruitment Process
The commission clarified that these candidates had appeared for document verification, physical tests and the preliminary examination under the same names, also printed on their admit cards.
The CGPSC conducted the preliminary examination for recruitment to 341 posts of subedar, sub-inspector and platoon commander under the home department on July 12 across all 33 districts.
The preliminary examination result was declared on August 4, with 7,301 candidates qualifying for the mains.
However, a controversy erupted after a clipping of the list of qualifying candidates with names such as 'News', 'Space Rani', 'He Ram', 'Bhakt Prahlad' and 'Tufail' went viral on social media.
Opposition Alleges Negligence
Congress leaders questioned the recruitment process, with former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel taking a dig at the government over the names.
Baghel shared the list of unusual names on X, saying, "The Public Relations Department should spend Rs 1 crore daily on advertisements to display this achievement at public intersections so that, in the coming days, 'Radio' and 'Space Raja' might also succeed in some examination."
State Congress communication wing chief Sushil Anand Shukla alleged that the BJP government, which had promised to conduct PSC examinations on the lines of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is "playing with the future of young people".
He claimed that the names on the list showed the CGPSC and the government's alleged "negligence" in conducting examinations.
The Congress leader further claimed that several recruitment and promotion examinations conducted in the state over the past two-and-a-half years, including those for forest guards, police constables and RI promotions, were under a cloud of suspicion.
Candidates Defend Their Names
The CGPSC, in a statement issued on Thursday, termed the social media claims "misleading and baseless" and said they were mocking the actual names of candidates and questioning the examination result.
The commission said that it "strongly refutes" the claims made in reels and short videos circulated on social media.
"The names of the candidates displayed in the examination result are the same as those entered by them in their online application forms, which they finally submitted. The candidates appeared for document and physical tests as well as the preliminary examination under these names, and their names were also displayed accordingly on their admit cards," it stated.
The CGPSC advised candidates and the public not to believe misleading information and to rely only on information published on its official website.
As his name became a subject of debate online, News Kumar Pradhan, one of the qualifying candidates, said he had cleared the CGPSC sub-inspector preliminary examination, but questions are being raised over his name unnecessarily without confirming the facts.
"My name is News Kumar Pradhan. My surname was not added to my Class 10 marksheet. My marksheets of Classes 10 and 12 and Aadhaar card carry the name News, without the surname. People think that the name is incorrect," he said in a video statement, adding that he is a resident of Bhatanpali in Raigarh district.
Talking to PTI over the phone, Tufail (29), who hails from Nayapara town in Raipur district, said that his name was the same in all his documents.
"After the result was released, rumours are being spread about names such as Spacerani, News and Tufail without any information or facts. These are the names of students who have prepared for the examination for years," he said.
Tufail appealed against rumours that questioned the transparency of the CGPSC, and said such claims were affecting the morale of candidates from ordinary families.
Another successful candidate, He Ram, said that his father's name is Rajnarayan and he is a resident of Mungeli district.
"My name is He Ram, and I have qualified the PSC preliminary examination. Some people are raising objections over my name. My surname is Kashyap, but it is not mentioned in any of my documents. Hence, I entered only my name while filling the form," he told PTI.
Similarly, another candidate, Bhakt Prahlad, said his father's name is Sonram Dhruv and that his name is recorded as 'Bhakt Prahlad' in all his documents, including his bank passbook.
"My surname is not mentioned. Please do not spread confusion regarding my name," he said.
