Candidates block Dhaka roads after exam suspension

The Department of Youth Development has suspended its recruitment examination for assistant upazila youth development officers amid allegations of a question paper leak, triggering protests and road blockades across Dhaka on Saturday and leaving thousands of candidates deeply frustrated.

The examination for 242 vacant posts in the 11th pay grade was due to begin at 11 am on October 10, with more than 300,000 candidates reportedly having applied and around 100 centres planned across the capital. Allegations of a leak surfaced on Facebook the night before the test, including claims that an official linked to the recruitment committee had ties to a leak syndicate and that questions had been offered to candidates for around Tk 2.5 million each. The authorities reportedly found partial or complete similarities between material circulating online and the actual questions, whereupon the examination was suspended to safeguard the integrity of the process. Nevertheless, the allegations have yet to be fully substantiated by an investigation.

The eleventh-hour decision incensed candidates who had travelled to Dhaka from across the country after months of preparation. Demonstrators blocked roads at several locations, including Technical Mor in Mirpur, Shahbagh, Nilkhet, Motijheel, Manik Mia Avenue and Dhanmondi’s Satmasjid Road, causing severe traffic congestion. Many demanded an impartial investigation and a fresh examination date under a transparent process, arguing that the abrupt suspension had imposed substantial financial and personal costs. Traffic and police personnel subsequently intervened to clear the blockades, and traffic gradually returned to normal after 1 pm.

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The department has since launched an inquiry. Assistant Director (Administration-5) Md Mazharul Haque said the examination was suspended at the last moment for unavoidable reasons and on instructions from higher authorities, while Director of the administration wing D M Atikur Rahman acknowledged that information circulating on social media matched the examination questions. Furthermore, a five-member committee headed by an additional secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been formed to investigate and report within three working days, and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch and the Criminal Investigation Department have reportedly begun parallel inquiries to identify those responsible. The authorities expect to announce a new examination date within two to three days, and they have pledged legal action against anyone found culpable.