Indore: Hundreds of candidates selected as assistant professors by Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) but were not given joining for last 15 months reached Ambedkar memorial in Mhow on Sunday and kick-started a march to Bhopal.
To convey their anger over delay in joining letters, 20 of them even got their heads shaved and kept hairs in two spots, which they said, would be presented to chief minister Kamalnath and Higher Education minister Jitu Patwari in Bhopal.
The protestors included some candidates selected for lab technicians’ posts also and they too were not given joining letters.
After a gap of 25 years, assistant professor exam was conducted in 2017 for nearly 3000 vacancies and results were declared in 2018. Days after results were declared Assembly elections were announced and government changed in the state. Since then the appointment issue has faced political and legal hurdles.
As repeated requests to the government for joining letters fell on deaf ears, hundreds of candidates, including about 200 women candidates, gathered at Mhow on Sunday and kick-started their march under the banner of MPPSC Selected Assistance Professors Association.
Association president Prakash Khairatkar said that they met higher education minister Jitu Patwari several times but he misled them. He never kept his promises so we are forced to take out the rally.
He stated that they would present copy of Indian Constitution to Kamal Nath and Governor Lalji Tandon on reaching Bhopal.
Police disperse protestors: Permission for rally was given by administration on the condition that the protestors would not don black clothes or ribbons and that they would not enter Bijalpur where Jitu Patwari resides.
When the rally reached Rajendra Nagar which was accompanied by police, some candidates demanded to go to Bijalpur but were stopped.
As they insisted, additional police force was called and they used force to disperse the protestors.
Govt got interviews scrapped: Initially, the assistant professor selection process was a two-stage process. In first stage exam was to be conducted and in the second stage interviews were to be held. After the exam was held, a circular issued by a deputy secretary (higher education) reached MPPSC office in first week of May. On May 9, the MPPSC issued a notice stating that interviews would not be held as was announced earlier.
While MPPSC chairman two months ago had stated that interviews were cancelled as the process would stretch for several months given the number of posts, many see a political angel behind the move.
“As it was election year, the BJP led government wanted selection process to end before Assembly elections so that it could gain mileage in elections,” said RTI activist Pankaj Prajapati.
“It was not MPPSC’s decision but that of the government to cancel interviews,” he said.
