47th BCS examinees announce boycott of written exam

Examinees of the 47th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) have announced a boycott of the written examination after weeks of agitation demanding rescheduling and additional preparation time.

At a press conference in front of Madhur Canteen at Dhaka University on Wednesday afternoon, the examinees alleged that their demands had been ignored, leaving them inadequately prepared, creating discrimination between new and old candidates, and exposing protesters to repeated attacks.

Speaking on behalf of the examinees, Saif Murad said the revised schedule had made it impossible for many candidates to sit for the exam.

He said repeated calls to defer the exam on “humanitarian grounds” went unanswered, compelling them to boycott.

Murad said they had spent the past 30 days appealing to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and other authorities for a solution, during which protesters were allegedly attacked several times.

“For the first 30 days, we did not even take to the streets. People did not know we were protesting. But when our backs were against the wall, we were compelled to hold a public programme to draw the government’s attention,” he said, apologising for any inconvenience caused to the public.

He claimed that 40–50 students had been injured during the movement, with some requiring more than 10 stitches on their heads. Despite this, he said, no PSC or government representative had inquired about their condition.

“We did not raise political slogans. We only asked for a fair chance. But the PSC chairman pushed ahead with the exam to follow his own roadmap,” he added.

The examinees argued that the current routine creates discrimination, as many experienced candidates had already taken another written exam three months earlier, giving them an advantage, while new examinees had insufficient time to prepare.

Murad said a large number of candidates would refrain from participating in Thursday’s exam. If attendance is unusually low, they plan to demand a re-examination at a later date.

Meanwhile, the Public Service Commission has maintained its decision, confirming that the written examination for the 47th BCS will begin tomorrow, 27 November, as scheduled.

The exam will be held across eight centres — Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh — although some post-specific subjects will be held only in Dhaka.