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The students are seeking organisational restructuring and an increase in manpower, arguing that the measures are necessary to improve the MPSC’s functioning and credibility.
A major point of the protest is the MPSC’s OTR system. (PTI/Representative)
Hundreds of activists of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), a prominent student body in Mizoram, demonstrated outside the Mizoram Public Service Commission (MPSC) headquarters on Monday, calling for sweeping reforms in the commission’s administrative and recruitment procedures.
The protesters staged a picket at the commission’s office and stopped officials and employees from entering the building. The demonstration was largely peaceful, although a brief confrontation broke out between police personnel and some protesters when MPSC officials tried to enter the premises, reported PTI.
The students are seeking organisational restructuring and an increase in manpower, arguing that the measures are necessary to improve the MPSC’s functioning, efficiency and credibility.
A major point of the protest is the commission’s One Time Registration (OTR) system. The MZP alleged that shortcomings in the handling of recent recruitment exercises had eroded the confidence of candidates and created uncertainty over the online registration process.
The organisation has called for the existing OTR mechanism to be discontinued and replaced with application forms tailored to individual recruitment exercises and the specific requirements of each post.
It has also demanded a one-time relaxation for candidates who were disqualified because they had failed to upload complete documents through the OTR portal. According to the MZP, candidates who successfully cleared written examinations but were later rejected during document verification should be allowed to submit missing documents physically.
MZP president Dr C Lalremruata said the organisation would continue and intensify its agitation until the commission addressed its demands.
MPSC officials, however, defended the OTR system, maintaining that it was introduced to make the recruitment process simpler while promoting fairness and equal access to government employment.
Under the system, candidates are required to provide their personal information and upload supporting documents only once. The information can then be retrieved automatically when they apply for subsequent recruitment examinations, officials explained.
They said the arrangement reduces repeated data entry, lowers the possibility of errors and allows applicants to access their registration details and examination-related information through the online portal whenever required.
The commission further pointed out that OTR mechanisms have been adopted by several State Public Service Commissions across India. It therefore saw no immediate reason to abandon the existing system or create a separate offline process for submitting documents.
Officials also cautioned that accepting the MZP’s demands could have broader consequences, particularly in cases where recruitment and appointments had already been completed.
The MPSC said it received approximately 50,000 applications during 2025-26 and had processed more than 20,000 applications in 2026-27 so far. According to the commission, the number of candidates potentially affected by incomplete document uploads or attempts to submit documents after the deadline is estimated at about 500.
Some of the affected candidates have already approached the Aizawl bench of the Gauhati High Court after their applications were rejected over incomplete or delayed document submissions, officials said. They argued that altering the recruitment procedure while the matter remains before the court would be inappropriate.
The MZP said it has been bringing candidates’ difficulties to the commission’s attention since June last year. While the organisation does not oppose the concept of OTR itself, it argued that the current system is inadequately designed and insufficiently user-friendly.
According to the student body, unclear instructions regarding document uploads have caused confusion among applicants. It further alleged that some candidates were initially included in the list of eligible applicants, appeared for written examinations and were even shortlisted for interviews, only to be subsequently disqualified during manual verification because documents uploaded through the OTR portal were deemed incomplete.
The MZP has consequently urged the commission to accept responsibility for shortcomings in the recruitment portal and give affected applicants an opportunity to correct deficiencies in their documentation.
The organisation maintained that candidates should not be penalised for technical limitations or deficiencies in an online system operated by the commission.
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August 11, 2026, 09:38 IST
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