Delhi Metro shuts two stations over protest

New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) Delhi Metro Friday shut two stations due to a protest by the UPSC aspirants, even as about 300 demonstrators were detained when they tried to march towards parliament, police said.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants are demanding scrapping of the Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT).

The Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhavan Metro stations, both on the yellow line, were closed from 12.45 p.m. to 3 p.m., inconveniencing commuters.

The UPSC aspirants, detained outside the Central Secretariat Metro station in central Delhi, were taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.

Some students complained that they were beaten up by police.

"Our protest will continue till the demands are met. Police can't stop us," said Rajesh Mishra, an aspirant.

"We will continue our protest until we get a written assurance that the examination date will be extended and the CSAT exam will be scrapped," Anurag Chaturvedi, another aspirant, told IANS.

Another aspirant, R.V. Yadav added: "Hindi is our national language and it is being sidelined. Students, who know regional language, feel handicapped."

The protests have intensified since Thursday night.

Over 500 UPSC aspirants have been protesting in central and north Delhi, demanding the scrapping of CSAT, calling it discriminatory against those with Hindi background.

The CSAT is a compulsory part of the civil services examination acting as a screening test before the main examination.

Students burnt a bus, a police van and a motor-bike in Mukherjee Nagar area in north Delhi Thursday night. A student even tried to set himself afire but policemen stopped him.