47th BCS preliminary qualifiers block Rajshahi railway demanding deferral of written exam
Staff Reporter :
Candidates who passed the 47th BCS preliminary test blocked railway tracks in Rajshahi for nearly two hours on Saturday, demanding that the written examinations, slated to begin on 27 November, be postponed.
Because of the blockade, the Rajshahi-Dhaka-bound Padma Express and the Rajshahi-Pabna-bound Dhalarchar Express remained stuck at Rajshahi Railway Station.
Station Manager Ziaul Ahsan said the Padma Express, scheduled to depart at 4pm for Dhaka, could not leave due to the blockade. The Dhalarchar Express, set to leave at 5:20pm, was also unable to move.
“We cannot risk passenger safety. That’s why the Padma Express did not depart. The trains will move only after the protesters vacate the tracks,” he said.
Around 4pm, preliminary qualifiers began blocking the tracks near the Rajshahi University Station Bazar, halting rail communication between Rajshahi and the rest of the country. As of 5:45pm, the blockade was still ongoing.
Mahbub Alam, a student of Applied Chemistry at Rajshahi University and a candidate for the 47th BCS written exam, said, “The railway blockade will continue until the PSC or high-level government authorities call us for discussions.”
“We also do not want to take steps that cause suffering to the public, but the PSC has left us with no choice,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Rajshahi University students gathered at Buddhijibi Chattar, took out a procession through campus roads, and then occupied the railway tracks.
The candidates said they had held multiple meetings with the PSC chairman requesting a reasonable extension, but the preparation time was not increased.
They pointed out that after publishing the preliminary results, the PSC allowed only one and a half months and fixed 27 November for the written exam – the shortest preparation period ever for a BCS written test. In previous years, candidates usually had at least six months.
Mahbub further noted that while earlier batches received six months, they had been given barely two. “We are protesting to demand a fair amount of preparation time,” he said.