CJP Expresses Solidarity With Candidates Over KPSC Exam Irregularities

Bengaluru: The Cockroach Janta Party on Friday expressed solidarity with candidates impacted by irregularities in KPSC recruitment exams and said it was trying to understand the issue and would raise it prominently in the coming days.

The CJP team, led by co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, has been in Bengaluru for the last three days as part of its nationwide "School Thik Karo" campaign.

According to the CJP, the team flagged several issues after visiting four government schools in the city, including the absence of teachers due to SIR work, poor infrastructure and inadequate cleanliness.

Speaking to PTI Videos, Ranka said he had visited four schools in Bengaluru over the last three days and that the biggest problem witnessed across all the schools was that more than 50 per cent of the teachers were currently engaged in SIR duty.

He said that at a school in Varthur, three of the six teachers were on SIR duty. At the school visited in JP Nagar, three of eight teachers were on SIR duty. In Sarjapur, eight of nine teachers were engaged in SIR duty.

"So, this is directly affecting the schooling of children and directly affecting education. If the Election Commission wants to run its propaganda, it can absolutely do so. If it wants to remove voters, let it remove them. But at least leave the children alone; at least leave the teachers alone," he claimed.

Asserting that the education of children should not be affected, he said the issue would be raised prominently and that they would not remain silent on it.

He also pointed out that public toilets in the schools were a major issue. They were found to be in "very poor" condition, he said, adding that there was a huge shortage of cleaning staff and that the toilets were not cleaned for weeks at a time.

"Several schools, whether it is the one in Varthur or the incident in Bagalkot, we know that there are many schools that are currently in a very poor condition. Those schools should also be repaired and brought back into proper condition as soon as possible, because this is directly connected to the safety and security of children," he said.

He also termed the meeting with School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa as "positive", saying that they highlighted all the issues and gave feedback.

"He (Minister) listened to our feedback and assured us that work would be done on all these issues," Ranka said.

Responding to a question regarding the irregularities in the KPSC (Karnataka Public Service Commission) exam related issues that happened in Karnataka recently, he said the issue is a big one and that several students have messaged him regarding the veterinary officer (recruitment exam) paper leak.

He claimed that the incidents of paper leaks are being carried out by an "organised" mafia, which is happening across the country.

"But we have said from day one that no kind of paper leak will be tolerated in this country anymore. Our team is currently trying to understand this issue in greater detail. I have also met several student groups in recent times. And in the coming days, we will raise this issue prominently," he said.

Ranka added that the CJP stands in full solidarity with all the students who have been impacted by not just the veterinary officer paper leak, but all the other paper leaks in Karnataka.

There have been alleged irregularities in the KPSC recruitment examination for veterinary officers. The CID is probing allegations of irregularities in the recruitment examination, including the handling of examination records, OMR sheets and the role of involved officials and others.