A group of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) aspirants has submitted a memorandum to Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, urging the deferment of the written exam schedule for the 46th BCS.
The candidates handed over the memorandum around 9:30pm on Tuesday in front of the chief adviser’s residence, seeking his intervention.
Dr Siyam, spokesperson for the 44th, 45th and 46th BCS candidates, told Dhaka Tribune that they had met Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) officials in the afternoon with the assistance of the army. “But the authorities reiterated their previous stance and confirmed May 8 as the written exam date for the 46th BCS,” he said.
After the discussion failed to reach any resolution, the candidates left the PSC premises around 7pm and staged a sit-in in front of the chief adviser’s official residence, Jamuna.
“We waited there for about an hour before submitting our memorandum. The chief adviser has assured us of a meeting tomorrow to discuss the matter,” Siyam added.
Dhaka Tribune could not reach Yunus’s Assistant Private Secretary Shabbir Ahmed for comment.
Earlier in the day, the candidates continued their sit-in protest in front of the BPSC office from morning until 7pm, pressing for the deferment of the written exams and protesting last Thursday’s police action against them.
Around 3pm, five representatives of the candidates entered the BPSC office for discussions, facilitated by the army.
However, the BPSC authorities reportedly declined to change the exam schedule, prompting the candidates to relocate their protest to the chief adviser’s residence later in the evening.
Candidate Md Adnan, who joined the protest in front of the BPSC, told Dhaka Tribune that their demands were legitimate and verifiable. “We have maintained peaceful demonstrations, but despite that, last Thursday, members of police, army, and other law enforcement agencies attacked us and detained several candidates. Later, they were released upon signing bonds,” he said.
Another candidate, Afsana Zaman, alleged that those involved in the movement were under constant surveillance and were facing various forms of restrictions.
Speaking anonymously, another candidate claimed: “The BPSC and administration are putting pressure on us in various ways, but we are determined to get the 46th BCS written exam rescheduled.”
The protesting candidates also demanded that the BPSC publish a complete viva schedule for the remaining candidates of the 44th BCS, complete all exams within May, and publish the final results by June.
They also called for the cancellation of the Non-Cadre Rules 2023 and urged the commission to increase both cadre and non-cadre posts to ensure jobs for all candidates who pass the viva voce.
The candidates have been demonstrating since the BPSC published the exam schedules for the 44th, 45th and 46th BCS, seeking a deferment of the 46th BCS written tests.
On April 8, they staged a protest in front of the BPSC office and later entered the premises to press their demands, which led the commission to request three days to consider their plea.
On April 9, the BPSC officially declined to reschedule the exam date.
