‘Sleepless nights’: UPSC Prelims aspirants seek postponement citing trauma after India-Pakistan conflict

NEW DELHI: Several UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 aspirants from border areas including Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat are demanding postponement of the exam citing lack of concentration and preparation owing to sleepless nights, mental draining following the recent challenging times, starting with Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is going to conduct UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2025 on May 25.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, Jitendra Singh, and J-K chief minister Omar Abdullah, a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Navjot Singh argued that the affected candidates would compete with others not directly involved in India-Pakistan tensions, calling it unfair.

“Many Aspirants have lost their homes, loved ones, forced to relocate, facing blackouts and almost all have seen war clouds hovering over their night skies with artillery bombardment, armed drones and enemy missiles and that consistent fear of death and uncertainty of life,” the officer said in the letter on behalf of UPSC Prelims aspirants.

Explaining the plight of students, the officer highlighted that many UPSC aspirants from these border states have their family members serving in the armed forces and the para military forces and have found it very challenging to focus on exam in these “turbulent times”. Even the aspirants from border states who are staying in cities like Delhi for exam preparation have been living in constant fear of the safety of their families back home, he claimed.

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UPSC CSE Prelims 2025: Border aspirants in lurch

“In light of principles of fair and equal opportunity for all aspirants which UPSC adheres to, these aspirants connected to borders and having sleepless and mentally draining and death fearing nights since the launch of Operation Sindoor, will be competing with students from cities around the country who may be comparatively better placed because of no direct involvement. It is therefore requested that the date of Prelims be revisited by UPSC, an institution that is a hope of justice and fairness,” Singh requested.

He urged the UPSC community to extend their genuine support for this “reasonable” and “justified” cause.

Weighing in on the issue, an X user said, “Today, I met UPSC aspirants from the Jammu and Poonch regions. Many of them are feeling lost, and some are even thinking of not attempting this year’s Prelims. It’s disheartening to see them in such conditions.”

“So, I personally feel it is unfair to conduct CSE preliminary exam at this current situation. I humbly request UPSC, Department of Personnel and Training to reconsider conducting UPSC Prelims 2025 now and postpone for a while. It is genuine request from all the aspirants,” said another.

Many exams were cancelled and rescheduled as a precautionary measure following the recent India-Pakistan conflict. The Haryana Public Service Commission postponed the May 11 exam and the Institute of Chartered Accountant (ICAI) also deferred the CA Final, Intermediate exams in view of the war situation.