3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jun 10, 2026 06:49 PM IST
The Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Examination, being conducted across all 75 districts of the state on June 8, 9, and 10, has laid bare the scale of unemployment among educated youth in the country. Of the 28.86 lakh candidates who have applied for 32,679 constable and equivalent posts, a significant number hold engineering degrees, postgraduate qualifications, and other professional credentials, applying for a constable’s post not out of choice, but necessity.
Chandra Shekhar Gupta from Ballia, who holds an MSc degree, said unemployment left him with little option. “I am an MSc graduate, but unemployment has compelled me to appear for this examination so that I can get a job,” he said.
BTech graduate Chandrakala Srivastava from Basti echoed the sentiment. “Engineering jobs are not easily available. If any job is available, one needs to take it,” she said, adding that she was willing to take up any available opportunity given the lack of openings in her field.
Vandana Chauhan from Gorakhpur, who holds a BA and a Basic Training Certificate – a qualification for teaching positions. She said she had been waiting for a suitable vacancy for eight years. “Vacancies for these qualifications have not come for eight years. I am appearing for the police exam because I need a job,” she said. Ashish Singh from Deoria, an MA graduate, noted that the recruitment system did not always provide opportunities aligned with qualifications, forcing many to compete for whatever posts were available.
Beyond unemployment, several candidates expressed anxiety over the possibility of paper leaks, particularly in the wake of the NEET paper leak controversy and the subsequent announcement of re-examinations. “Paper leaks have been reported in the country. We hope such a problem does not happen in this examination,” said a candidate in Kushinagar. Officials said elaborate security arrangements, including CCTV cameras, metal detectors, and multi-layer security protocols, had been deployed at all examination centres.
Travel presented another challenge. Railway stations and bus stands across the state witnessed heavy crowds as thousands of aspirants made their way to examination centres from distant districts. At Lucknow’s Charbagh station, candidates were seen waiting overnight, studying on platforms or resting before their exams. Shivam Kumar from Raebareli, whose train stopped before reaching the station due to a signal issue, had to walk to reach his centre on time. “My father is a daily wage worker, but he is getting old now. My family has hopes from me. I just pray that there is no paper leak, and the result comes out properly,” he said.
Candidates benefited from a 50% fare concession on UP State Road Transport Corporation buses on production of admit cards, which helped ease the financial burden of travel for many aspirants.