Lucknow: If you are a resident of Uttar Pradesh, have you ever thought what stops your son or daughter from becoming a district magistrate (DM) or a police chief? A Headlines Today investigation exposes why your ward has not been able to crack the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) examinations.

The sting operation enitled 'Operation Sarkar' reveals that recommendations have become the easy route for becoming a DM or SP in UP. It unmasks the UP government and unearths how vacant posts in the state administration are being filled with Yadav candidates. It is caste over merit in the civil services merit list. Shockingly, marks are suitably altered to suit a particular caste. If your surname is Yadav, you son or daughter has better chances of cracking the civil service examination.

Now, several questions arise: Is 'Yadavisation' of the UP administration mere a co-incident or a conspiracy? Is it Uttar Pradesh Service Commission or Uttar Pradesh Yadav Service Commission?

The ruling Samajwadi Party is more or less equivalent to its chief 's clan. The Yadav's family rules all the way. Those who crack UPPSC exams and go on to become a DM, SP, Commissioner, DIG and IG in the future, they will have one thing in common - their surname as Yadav surnames dominates in the UPPSC examination merit list.

Members of a particular community are being selected for UPPSC interviews. And it is smoothly sailing even before the interview panel. That is how Yadav surnames dominate UPPSC merit list.

The sting operation exposes how one call from Delhi or Lucknow alters name on final merit list. "I know a fact that there was mobilisation for a candidate from Delhi. A call made to Anil Yadav and he was briefed. The boy was selected.... I know it," reveals Mushtaq Ali, HoD of the Department of Hindi at Allahabad University.

Even employees in the UP government are convinced that recommendation is a short-cut to get selected in the UPPSC. UPPSC Section Officer Ramesh has been recorded by the news channel on hidden camera as saying, "A candidate is studying day and night. When he sits before to the interview board, what will you ask him when you know that he is not going to be selected? Whatever list is sent from the top (on phone), you will have to do it."

Meet Anand Shekhar Singh who is principal at Ishwar Sharan Degree College in Allahabad. He is also the member of the UPPSC interview board. He says, "Interview is one main thing that is in your hand. It is a big thing that is in your hand. It is a very big thing. The member are yours, you can pass on off-the-record direction like dekh lijiyega (see him) to anyone."

When asked that the interview board is not provided with actual roll number of candidates, they carry a particular code, then it can be done, Singh said, "If you are a member of the UPPSC board, you have it. I am the chairman, we know all coding and decoding. If I want to do something, I can. If I want to do it, I will pass it to other members of interview panel."

He revealed members of the interview board are given details about the candidates and a community-based list is sent to them much ahead of the interview.

Carrying a weightage of 200 marks, the interview is an important part of the UPPSC exams. And there is a rider for examiner here. In case, an examiner gives over 140 marks to a candidate, he needs to furnish explanatory remarks.

The Akhilesh Yadav govt was in power when the last UPPSC examination was held. Its result was shocking. Among the 86 backward community candidates who were selected, 50 were Yadavs. And barring one or two exceptions, most of these Yadav candidates performed exceptionally well. They scored between 135 to 140 marks in the interview. Even those Yadav candidates who had low grades in written exams also made it through the interviews with flying colours.

Mushtaq Ali, who claims to have interviewed UPPSC candidates, also confirmed that despite all attempts to maintain secrecy, recommendations always make their way through. When the reporter asks him how it can be done in public service examinations, he says, "It gets coded there, there is no name. There is just a candidate's coding. So if you are coming through a member, you can be obliged. He will recognise the face."

Explaining the process, he said, "Suppose you are a member, you met me in the evening. We spoke. Suppose, it does not come under your board but someone else's. So, you will tell him that there is this candidate, just see him. And if his candidate is in your board, you will help him. It's all well coordinated."

The sentiment among the state public service commission employees is clear too - recommendations are a key. UPPSC Upper Secretary Virender Tiwari says, "All the details are sent to the interview panel ahead of interviews. Suppose 100 candidates are to be interviewed today in 5 different boards. The deatils of all candidates along with roll number and educational qualifications are sent to the interview panel. They are divided in a group of 20 in five boards. So it's pre-decided which candidate appears in front of which board for interview. In each board, there are 3-4 experts. They pose questions to candidates. The marks are ultimately to be given by the UPPSC board member irrespective of what is being asked. If the chairman, secretary and a member want to pass any candidate, they can do it."

The picture is blatantly clear. When you compare the average interview scores of candidates of all three categories, Yadavs are the clear gainers.

When the news channel's reporter asked Dhanajay Pandey, ex-professor, Allahabad University, that is it just secretary, chairman and member or can people at lower level also do this, he replied, "People at lower level can't do it. If they try, the scam will be out in the open. More people will come to know about it. It's not possible at the lower level."



Image: UPPSC Main Building (Photo credit: upscportal.com)