1.25 crore. That’s the number of applications received for little over 35,000 vacancies in the highly competitive Railway Recruitment Board’s Non-Technical Popular Category (NTPC) recruitment exam.

However, a recent notification by the RRB of conducting a second qualifying exam to confirm the selection of candidates led to thousands of aspirants taking the street across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for three consecutive days, blocking the movement of around 25 trains. The protest also turned violent on 26 January, with railways tracks set ablaze in UP’s Prayagraj and a train coach set on fire in Bihar’s Gaya.

Aspirants state that this second stage for final selection amounted to “cheating” those who appeared for the first stage of the exam, results for which were released on 14 January. They say that the 2019 notification only mentioned one exam and accused the recruitment board of “playing with the future of students”.

So are the claims of these students correct? What is the controversy exactly, and what action has the railway ministry taken so far? Tune in!

Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram

Editor: Shorbori Purkayastha

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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