Allahabad police on Wednesday registered a case against 12 job aspirants, who are part of the ongoing dharna at the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission’s (UPPSC) gate, on the charge of damaging government properties.

The agitators had brought down a hoarding of a coaching institute at the protest site.

The state government has deployed more Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel at the site. “Today (Wednesday) is the third day of our protest against the exam schedule for provincial civil services and review officers. We are protesting against the notification that there would be four sets of test papers and the exams would be held in two days and four shifts. We are also opposing the normalisation of marks because it is harmful to meritorious students,” said Mayank Singh, a protester.

“UPPSC secretary Ashok Kumar had alleged that we are under the influence of coaching institutes and instigated by them. We are hurt by this allegation. We noticed a hoarding of a coaching centre near our dharna site and decided to remove it. Later, we came to know it was erected by the Nagar Nigam. The government got an opportunity to intimidate us by filing a case because their other tricks have failed,” Singh added.

Krishna Murari Chaurasiya, in charge of the UPPSC police station who has filed the case, said: “We have booked two named and 10 unidentified protesters and are searching for them. This act of the students harmed the Nagar Nigam financially because the advertisers pay for such hoardings.”

Trying to keep up the protest momentum, the students on Tuesday night took out a candle march around the commission’s office chanting: “One day, one shift.”